A flop. Heralded as a step towards inclusion and gender diversity, the new “Open” category created by World Aquatics for transgender athletes is off to a shaky start. Swimming’s world governing body announced on Tuesday October 3 in a brief statement published on its website that no entries had been received for events in the new category for the German leg of the Swimming World Cup race, scheduled for this weekend in Berlin (October 6 to 8). The competition was the first to include “open” races on its program. But World Aquatics has no intention of giving up. It has announced that its working group will continue its work, exploring other avenues. “Even if there is no current demand at elite level, the working group plans to examine the possibility of including open category races in Masters events in the future“, explains the body.
