U.S. Masters Swimming Review Panel Finds Transgender Swimmer Was Eligible in Spring

U.S. Masters Swimming Review Panel Finds Transgender Swimmer Was Eligible in Spring

A U.S. Masters Swimming’s Eligibility Review Panel has discovered that the transgender swimmer on the middle of an argument within the spring was eligible to compete as a feminine on the time.

In a press release launched Friday, U.S. Masters Swimming didn’t identify the swimmer. But it discovered that beneath the foundations in impact by way of July 1, 2025, the swimmer demonstrated “that she was eligible for competition in the female category.”

That could not matter to the swimmer transferring ahead. (U.S. Masters Swimming didn’t identify the swimmer, however earlier reporting signifies that it was Ana Caldas, who gained 5 gold medals at U.S. Masters Spring Nationals in San Antonio.) U.S. Masters Swimming clarified that an interim eligibility coverage was applied July 1, which “allows for recognition in the female competition category based on sex assigned at birth, but allows for participation in the female category (as defined in the policy) based on gender identity.” (Details of the interim policy are available here.)

The location of the meet has turned the efficiency right into a hobbyhorse by politicians and political commentators who’ve used transgender athletes to attain political factors with their base. Friday’s report, then, is extra consequential to U.S. Masters Swimming, which has confronted criticism from the surface and from inside its personal membership, in addition to lawsuits by mentioned politicians.

The Review Panel was initiated by one other swimmer. (Under USMS coverage, “swimmers in the same gender category, same age group, and having participated in the same event during the same season may request an eligibility review of another swimmer at any time before the times submission deadline for that season.”) The swimmer offered documentation to the panel together with documentation, a private assertion, and voluntary medical documentation to corroborate her eligibility for the feminine class.

In mild of these information, the panel concluded that the swimmer was eligible to swim as a feminine in 2025. Policies have modified since then, together with membership registration course of modifications, and the assertion presents no definitive assertion on future eligibility.

“We appreciate our members’ patience during this thorough review process as the complexities of the matter were exacerbated by the outside legal and media attention received,” the assertion learn. “USMS also wants to encourage our members to treat each other with dignity, kindness, and respect as outlined in the USMS code of conduct.”