An international swimming competition featuring transgender athletes will be held in Berlin, Germany, in October.”We are pleased to announce the inclusion of an ‘open category’ at the 2023 World Cup Series Berlin from October 6-8,” the International Swimming Federation said on Saturday (local time). “We can embrace swimmers of all genders and multiple identities. It will be a testament to this inclusivity.”For starters, the Berlin Games will feature an “open category” for transgender swimmers in the 50 and 100 meters of each of the following strokes: freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly.”The open category can be expanded further in the future,” the federation added.Last year, the International Swimming Federation held an extraordinary general assembly during the Budapest World Championships and decided that only transgender athletes who have undergone surgery before the age of 12 can compete in international women’s events.This was interpreted by foreign media as a de facto ban on transgender athletes competing in international events, given that the World Professional Association of Transgender Health Professionals (WPATH) 바카라사이트 recommends a minimum age of 15-17 for sex reassignment surgery.”During the Fukuoka World Championships in July of this year, the federation reversed course and created a category for transgender athletes to compete in.”Athletes registered with their national federation may compete in the open category as an individual, club or national federation member,” the federation said. Specific entry rules will be finalized in the run-up to Berlin.FINA President Hussein Al Musallam said: “We have assembled a team of experts to create the Open category. We are grateful to all those who have helped our federation to take on this new challenge.””We are delighted to be hosting the first event where swimmers can compete without barriers,” said Kai Morgenrot, Vice President of the German Swimming Federation. “Berlin is a hub of diversity and inclusion, the perfect place to launch such a progressive project.”