- World Aquatics announced a new category for transgender athletes last year
- The ‘open’ races were abolished after no entries were received for the World Championship
- Despite a lack of interest, it will still try to include an open category in the future
The first ‘open’ races for transgender swimmers have been canceled after no entries were received for this week’s World Cup meeting in Berlin.
World Aquatics last year announced the new category for athletes whose gender identity is different from their birth sex, after transgender women were banned from competing in elite female events.
The open category was due to take place in Berlin for the first time with 50 and 100 meter races over all strokes, as part of what the governing body called a ‘pioneering pilot project’.
However, World Aquatics announced on Tuesday that no swimmers had competed in the events, forcing them to reconsider their elite meeting policy.
“Following the close of entries for the open category competitions, World Aquatics can confirm that no entries have been received for the open category events,” they said in a statement.
The first ‘open’ races for transgender swimmers were scrapped after World Aquatics failed to receive entries, despite launching the new category following their feud with Lia Thomas (above)
The category would make its first appearance at this week’s World Cup meeting in Berlin
‘The World Aquatics open category working group will continue its work and engagement with the aquatic community at open category events. Even if there is currently no demand at the elite level, the working group plans to explore the possibility of including open category races at masters events in the future.”
World Aquatics changed their policy last year following the row surrounding American Lia Thomas, who became the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest U.S. national university title.
Other sports such as athletics and cycling followed swimming in preventing transgender women from competing in the women’s category, but World Aquatics is the first to attempt to organize a third category, separate from the men’s and women’s events.
The World Cup in Berlin starts on Friday and Britain’s three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty will compete for the first time since March after his break as he focuses on his mental health.
The governing body, led by President Husain Al-Musallam (above), described the new open category as a “groundbreaking pilot project” when it was launched by World Aquatics last year.
Thomas was the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest U.S. national college title