A transgender swimmer has received a five-year suspension from international aquatic sports after refusing to undergo what she described as “highly invasive” sex verification tests demanded by the sport’s global governing body. Hannah Caldas, a 47-year-old athlete living in California, was banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA), following her participation in the Masters World Championships in the women’s category in 2024.
The suspension, effective immediately, also retroactively annuls all of Caldas’s results achieved between June 19, 2022, and October 17, 2024.
Caldas stated her acceptance of the consequences but framed her refusal as a stand for privacy. “If a five-year suspension is the price I have to pay to protect my most intimate medical information, then I am happy to do so,” Caldas said. She added that her decision was for herself “and for all women who do not want to submit to highly invasive medical examinations just to be able to swim in a competition for veterans.”
U.S. media reports indicate FINA had demanded Caldas undergo a genetic or chromosomal test, at her own expense, to verify compliance with the “chromosomal sex” requirement of its Gender Policy. This demand came despite Caldas having already provided FINA with a birth certificate identifying her as female. The test was required for her to participate in the World Aquatics Masters, a competition for veteran athletes.
The controversy surrounding Caldas escalated in May when she competed in the American Masters Spring Championships in Austin, Texas. There, she won all five events in the +45 women’s category.
Caldas, born in Vizela, Portugal, was previously an athlete in crossfit and rowing.