Posted on the BBC news site.
Can only believe this is an April 1st play issued too soon.
US unveils new policy for elite transgender swimmersPublished3 hours agoImage caption,IMAGE SOURCE,AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The new policy sets criteria for transgender athletes in elite swimming eventsUS competitive swimming's governing body has updated its policy on the eligibility of transgender athletes.
A three-person medical panel will now determine whether "prior physical development of the athlete as a male" gives transgender swimmers an unfair advantage, USA Swimming says.
There will also be testosterone tests for 36 months before competitions.
It comes as a transgender Pennsylvania university athlete has been smashing female swimming records.
The new policy was released on Tuesday and is effective immediately.
In a statement, USA Swimming said it "has and will continue to champion gender equity and the inclusivity of all cisgender and transgender women and their rights to participate in sport, while also fervently supporting competitive equity at elite levels of competition".
The policy for elite athletes, it said, "acknowledges a competitive difference in the male and female categories and the disadvantages this presents in elite head-to-head competition".
USA Swimming cited data showing that the top-ranked female athlete in 2021 would on average be ranked below 536th on male events that year.
The new policy "relies on science and medical evidence-based methods to provide a level-playing field for elite cisgender women", USA Swimming said.
They added that the policy serves "to mitigate the advantages associated with male puberty and physiology".
