Transgender Swimmer Ana Caldas Has Been Banned After Refusing Gender Testing
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World Aquatics have made the decision to ban transgender swimmer Ana Caldas over her refusal to undergo gender verification testing.
Caldas has been banned from competing for five years, until October 2030.
She has spoken publicly in response, accepting the consequences stating that it will “protect my most intimate medical information.”
Ana Caldas Responds To Competition Ban
The decision by World Aquatics to ban Ana Caldas, who goes by Hannah, follows complaints about the US Swimmer, originally from Portugal who lives openly as a trans woman.
Originally Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered an investigation into the US Masters Swimming which triggered their investigation into the eligibility of Caldas.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) also lodged a complaint about about Caldas alleging that her inclusion as a competitor jeopardised fair play standards and the integrity of the sport.
Subsequently World Aquatics requested that Caldas undergo gender verification chromosomal screening, a costly process for the athlete
The complaint by ICONS alleged that trans women must have had hormone therapy and should have testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L.
However Ana Caldas has stood her ground, stating that the “chromosomal tests are invasive and expensive procedures,”
“My insurance refuses to cover such a test because it is not medically necessary” she said.
“No US state requires genetic tests for recreational sports events like these. Not even US Masters Swimming, the national governing body for recreational adult swimming in the US, demands this for any of its events.”
As a result of her refusal Caldas faces not only a five year ban from competing but also stripped of all her successful competition results between June 2022 and October 2024.
“I understand and accept the consequences,” Caldas stated.
“But a five-year suspension is the price I have to pay to protect my most intimate medical information. I’m happy to pay that price – for myself and for all the women who don’t want to undergo invasive testing.”
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