Transgender swimmer Ana Caldas has received a five-year ban and was stripped of all competition results between June 2022 and October 2024 by World Aquatics for allegedly refusing to take a gender verification test.
The 47-year-old Caldas, who goes by Hannah, explained that they feel it is “not medically necessary” to undergo costly chromosomal testing that is not covered by their insurance — and ultimately accepted the punishment.
“Chromosomal tests are invasive and expensive procedures,” said Caldas, who transitioned from male to female, according to the Daily Mail.
“My insurance refuses to cover such a test because it is not medically necessary.
“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.”
The gender verification screening reportedly is part of World Aquatics’ investigation into Caldas’ eligibility, which stemmed from an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton into US Masters Swimming earlier this year.
“I understand and accept the consequences,” Caldas said. “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.”
World Aquatics banned Caldas until October 2030.
Riley Gaines — a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky who has been critical of transgender athletes — reshared the news on social media, including an image of Caldas.
“Not AI. Not a Babylon Bee post. Not a South Park episode. Not a SNL skit. This is real life,” wrote Gaines, who was vocal about the controversy surrounding Lia Thomas after competing against the transgender UPenn swimmer.
In May, Caldas dominated the five individual events in the women’s 45-49 age group division in the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship in San Antonio, Texas.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) sent a letter to the US Masters Swimming board explaining that allowing Caldas to compete violates their fair play policies and compromises the integrity of the competition.
The letter states that trans women must have had hormonal therapy and have testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L in order to compete against biological females, according to the Daily Mail.
Caldas, who was born in Portugal and represents America, competed at the 2024 Masters World Championships in the senior women’s category.
Caldas was just 0.3 seconds away from qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics in the 50m freestyle.
In 2022, the NCAA adopted new regulations for transgender athletes, requiring at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment to compete as a woman.
It came after Thomas crushed records on the women’s team following her transition from male to female.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
