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A transgender swimmer who was at the center of a national controversy earlier this year was banned from World Aquatics until 2030 and stripped of all competitive results from June 2022 to October 2024 after refusing to take a sex verification test.
Ana Caldas was included this week on the Aquatics Integrity Unit's suspended list for violating articles of the World Aquatics integrity code related to providing false information and defining criteria for the men's and women's competition categories.
World Aquatics changed its gender eligibility policy in 2022, limiting transgender women's participation in the female category to those who transitioned before age 12 or before reaching Tanner stage 2 of puberty.
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General view during the World Aquatics Men's Water Polo World Cup Division 2 final qualification match Romania against China at Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europa-Sportpark (SSE) on May 07, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Caldas attracted national scrutiny in May after winning five gold medals at a US Masters Swimming event in San Antonio, Texas, sparking protests from some of Caldas' opponents. Caldas dominated the women's 45-49 age category in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and the 100-yard individual medley.
Louisiana swimmer and veteran Wendy Enderle, who competed against Caldas in that and previous events, said she felt “betrayed” because she never learned Caldas' birth sex.
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On Thursday, Enderle provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing World Aquatics' decision to ban Caldas until 2030.
“I applaud World Aquatics for their decision to stand up for fairness and integrity in competitive swimming. I feel vindicated and validated, not only for myself, but for all the girls and women who have been forced to compete against men dressed as women in our sports,” Enderle said.
“Getting on the podium at the World Masters Championship in any position is a big deal! I feel sorry for the women who were denied that opportunity by Ana/Hannah/Hugo in 2024 when he took three podiums in Doha. I'm glad that the women who missed out on that chance will get their rightful places and awards.”
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Members of the United States team jump into the pool before the women's water polo quarterfinal match between the United States and Japan on the ninth day of the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships at the OCBC Aquatics Center on July 19, 2025 in Singapore. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the USMS in July over the San Antonio incident.
“I am suing US Masters Swimming for engaging in illegal practices by allowing men to compete in women's competitions,” Paxton said in a post on X announcing the lawsuit. “The organization has cowered in the face of radical activists pushing the gender war, and this lawsuit will hold the USMS accountable for its actions.”
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