Swimming's peak body is hiding behind "fairness" and disregarding science in the process to write anti-trans sentiment into policy.
Regretfully, Australia played a part in passing it, as one of one our top swimmers backed the move.
FINA - the international sporting body for swimming, diving and water polo - on Sunday voted (with a 71.5 per cent majority) in favour of its new gender inclusion policy.
But it is anything but inclusive.
It prevents intersex and transwomen athletes from competing in women's FINA-sanctioned events if they have experienced any part of male puberty beyond age 12.
One of Australia's flag-bearers at the Tokyo Olympics last year, and four-time Olympic gold medallist, Cate Campbell spoke at the FINA general congress meeting in support of the policy.
She hid behind "fairness" and "inclusion", as she discussed such a "difficult" topic and welcomed gender-diverse athletes to the sport, while in the same breath excluding transwomen or intersex people from her speech, not once using the words.
Campbell's entire speech tiptoed around the ostracising of an already marginalised group from their peers, and then hit them right where it hurt in the name of fairness.
Most shockingly, however, was her final remark.
"My hope that a young gender-diverse child can walk into a swimming club and feel the same level of acceptance that a nine-year-old immigrant kid from Africa did all those years ago," she said.
Because where is the acceptance, and where is the fairness when a sport excludes a group of people, in this case transwomen and intersex athletes, from competing?
Under FINA's policy transmen can compete in the men's events. But if they are undergoing testosterone hormone treatment they must obtain an exemption to do so, and in high diving and waterpolo must sign an assumption of risk form.
The decision has far greater ramifications than Olympic lanes, as it may be adopted on a national, state or local level.
FINA's 24-page policy document reiterated it was not forcing this on national bodies, or on a local level in its sports. But it opens the discriminatory door and says "come right on in".
The policy hinges on fairness and physical advantages, despite science not backing it up, or the International Olympic Committee's policy.
It disregards research from 2020 that found transwomen had lost most of the benefits of testosterone after two years on estrogen. Another study found genetic advantages frequently occur in sports, and if we take into consideration genetic advantages of trans athletes, these also should apply to cisgender athletes by introducing a handicap system based on testosterone levels.
FINA is promising to develop an open category over the next six month for athletes who do not meet the criteria laid out in the men's or women's categories. In theory this policy is groundbreaking for non-binary athletes.
But for transwomen and intersex athletes, it denies them their right to compete as they identify, and further implies their decisions are a choice made to become the next Olympic medallist, not to simply survive.
One name has been front and centre during the entire debate - Lia Thomas. A brave young swimmer whose form in the US college system has ruffled feathers, and prompted USA Swimming to continually change its policies to deny her an ability to compete.
This policy harms Thomas. It harms the transgender community. It harms gender-diverse communities. And it hurts future generations.
I guess it's lucky I never liked swimming in the first place.
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
