Swimming: Trans swimmer Lia Thomas set to compete at US Olympic trials for 2024 games

Sports officials have had years to sort out this mess around transgender athletes - but their lazy hand-wringing has left innocent athletes paying the price, writes JULIEN LINDEN.

Innocent athletes are paying the price for the pathetic response from international officials to the most contentious issue in world sport.

Everyone gets that the transgender debate that has dividied world sport is extremely complex and there’s no win-win fix so emotions are running high on both sides.

But that’s no excuse for highly-paid sporting officials - who spent their lives in the front end of planes and in five-star hotels - for not getting their backsides off the fence and making the tough call.

The time for procrastination has long disappeared because this row isn’t going away so sports officials either need to make a decision now or step aside and let someone else do it for them.

Innocent athletes have been caught up in the transgender debate because of slow-moving sports officials.

Despite all the hand-wringing about how more patience is needed, sports officials have had years to short this mess out and their procrastination is only harming athletes.

While the decision makers keep ducking for cover like they’re in a game of musical chairs, it’s the athletes who are being left to answer the curly questions about a problem they didn’t create - nor can they fix.

Damned when they do, damned when they don’t, whenever they do offer an honest opinion - as Australia’s champion swimmer Emma McKeon did recently - they get shot down for it.

Shamefully, it happened again on the Gold Coast on Wednesday when Australia’s Dolphins were unveiling the swimsuits they will race in at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Australian swim champion Ariarne Titmus. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Parading in glorious sunshine, it should have been a highlight reel moment for each of the swimmers and their families them but was once again hijacked by the transgender debate.

News had broken from the United States overnight that American transwimmer Lia Thomas wanted to swim at the Olympic trials in 2024.

There’s no prizes for guessing what the Aussie swimmers got asked when they fronted the media - but don’t blame the fourth estate.

The problem lies squarely with the international federations that are still dragging their feet but their time is up because they owe it to athletes to make a ruling fast.

TITMUS CALLS FOR FAIRNESS IN TRANS SWIMMING DEBATE

- By Emma Greenwood

Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus has called on world governing body FINA to take fairness into account when developing inclusion policies for elite swimming as transgender athlete Lia Thomas flagged her intention to trial for the US Olympic team.

Thomas, who won the 500 yard title at the NCAA championships earlier this year, said she planned to compete at the US Olympic trials in 2024, with her most likely events the 200m and 400m freestyle - those in which Titmus won gold in Tokyo last year.

Speaking at Speedo’s Commonwealth Games swimsuit launch on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, Titmus and fellow Olympic gold medallists Emma McKeon and Mack Horton said they only wanted fairness in sport.

“I love swimming, everyone here loves swimming and I hope that … FINA come up with rules that make it fair and enjoyable for everyone,” Titmus said.

“We want everyone to enjoy swimming in the fairest way possible and I hope that they take that into account.

“I think at the moment we have to trust what FINA and the authorities are going to do.

“Hopefully they have our best interests at heart. We want everyone to enjoy our sport and I hope they take that into account.”

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has caused a stir by declaring her intentions to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Thomas’s 500 yard freestyle time earlier this year of 4:33.24 was nine seconds slower than what Katie Ledecky, the US rival of Titmus, swam in 2017.

But Thomas’s time as a male in 2019 before transitioning was 4:18.72, six seconds faster than the former 400m world record holder.

Thomas has two years to close that gap, which although unlikely is not impossible.

Asked if she would see Thomas as a rival if she made the commitment to compete at the trials, Titmus said anyone she raced was a rival.

“I feel like in sport, it has to be fair for everyone and I hope that decisions are made to make sure that it’s fair for everyone,” Titmus said.

“But it doesn’t matter who the person is, everyone I race is a rival of mine.”

McKeon’s comments in April that she “personally wouldn’t want to be racing against someone who is biologically a male” became heavily politicised during the election campaign, with the Games golden girl unwittingly dragged into the spotlight.

Lia Thomas plans to compete at the US Olympic trials.

In the wake of Thomas’s revelation, McKeon, who has also underlined the need for inclusivity in sport, said she was “for fair sport” and said she was “happy to race in an environment that’s fair for everyone”.

“I’m for fair sport and I trust in the governing bodies that they’ll come to a decision that’s fair for everyone,” McKeon said.

“I trust (the governing bodies) to make a decision that’s fair for everyone.”

Horton, one of the leading voices in the Australian swim team, said the guidelines would need to be clear.

“I think we’re all for inclusive and fair sport, and it’s probably going to come down to FINA on how that is established,” he said.

Thomas told ABC News and ESPN she didn’t see herself as a “threat to women’s sports” but was keen to push on for the Olympics.

“Trans women competing in women’s sports does not threaten women’s sports as a whole,” Thomas said.

“Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes. The NCAA rules regarding trans women competing in women’s sports have been around for 10-plus years. And we haven’t seen any massive wave of trans women dominating.

“The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned.

“People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.’ I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself. … I’ve been able to do the sport that I love as my authentic self.

“I intend to keep swimming … It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through.”

The World Swim Coaches Association last month released their recommendation that Trans athletes are given their own race category, similar to Paralympic athletes who can compete at an elite level in sport but under protocols that allow group athletes into categories of similar ability.

The University of Pennsylvania student, who will need to adhere to the stricter USA swimming hormone policy to race at the trials, said moves to deny Trans athletes the right to compete against women was disrespectful and segregating to those athletes.

“It’s not taking away opportunities from cis women, really. Trans women are women, so it’s still a woman who is getting that scholarship or that opportunity,” she said.

“If you say, like, you can compete, but you can’t score or you’re in an extra lane nine, that’s very othering towards trans people.

”And it is not offering them the same level of respect and opportunity to play and to compete.”