American Masters swimmer Hannah Caldas has been banned for five years after refusing to undergo a gender-verification test.
The 48-year-old competed at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Doha last year, finishing first in her age category in the women’s 100m freestyle. She also finished second in the women’s 50m freestyle and third in the women’s 50m breaststroke.
Earlier this year, Caldas finished first in the five individual events she entered at the US Masters Swimming (USMS) Spring National Championship.
In August, USMS concluded that Caldas is eligible to compete in the women’s category following a review, claiming that ‘the documents the swimmer submitted all demonstrate that she was assigned the female sex at birth and that she identifies as female, although she swam in the male category at USMS events 2002-2004’.
However, World Aquatics has announced that Caldas has been suspended until October 2030 and her results from the last three years have been disqualified after she declined to undergo a gene test, which assesses whether an athlete is biologically male or female.
‘Chromosomal tests are invasive and expensive procedures,’ Caldas said in a statement via New York Aquatics.
‘My insurance refuses to cover such a test because it is not medically necessary. No U.S. state requires genetic tests for recreational sports events like these. Not even U.S. Masters Swimming, the national governing body for recreational adult swimming in the U.S., demands this for any of its events.’
Caldas, who has also won multiple CrossFit events across the world and equalled the women’s 500m indoor rowing world record four years ago, says she has refused the test in order to protect her ‘intimate medical information’.
‘I understand and accept the consequences of not complying with a World Aquatics investigation,’ Caldas said.
‘But if a five-year suspension is the price I must pay to protect my most intimate medical information, then it’s a price I am happy to pay – for myself, and for every other woman who does not want to submit to highly invasive medical testing just to swim in an older-adult competition.’
Caldas, who came close to representing Portugal at the 2012 Olympics but failed to qualify in the women’s 50-metre freestyle by 0.3 seconds, says she will now quit swimming competitively following her suspension.
‘I have been swimming in sanctioned events for over 30 years, and I am prepared to let it all go,’ Caldas said.
‘My life and privacy have been invaded enough. It is time to prioritise my health and personal safety.’
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