Latest news with #AnaCaldas
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
US Masters Swimming under investigation after trans athlete takes five women's gold medals at Texas event
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into U.S. Master's Swimming after an event in San Antonio at the end of April saw a biologically male trans competitor win five women's events. Multiple female competitors told Fox News Digital after the meet that they did not even know the trans athlete was a biological male. Now, Paxton's office is taking action, as Texas has a law in place to prohibit trans athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports. "The policy of U.S. Masters Swimming, which allows men to compete in women's events, is reprehensible and could violate Texas's consumer protection laws," Paxton said in an announcement. "Not only is this policy insulting to female athletes, but it also demonstrates deep contempt for women and may violate Texas law. I will fight to stop these unfair policies and never back down from defending the integrity of women's sports." The trans swimmer, 47-year-old Ana Caldas, dominated all five races the athlete competed in, taking gold in the women's age 45-49 category in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and the 100-yard individual medley. Louisiana woman and long-time swimmer Wendy Enderle said she filed the request for an eligibility review after finding out that one of the competitors she has faced for years was transgender, via a news article stemming from last week's incident. Now, Enderle is grateful to see Paxton's office taking action. "I was very encouraged by the announcement that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into U.S. Masters Swimming after allowing a transgender swimmer to unfairly compete against me and fellow female swimmers last month in San Antonio," Enderle told Fox News Digital. Enderle is also hoping that the U.S. Department of Justice will take action as well. President Donald Trump has had an executive order in place since Feb. 5 that requires publicly funded institutions to ban trans athletes from women's and girls sports. USMS is not publicly-funded, however. "I hope that U.S. Masters Swimming quickly adopts a more appropriate and fair policy in line with World Aquatics policy. I also would like to see U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi look into whether U.S. Masters Swimming violates Presidential Executive Order number 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, dated February 5, 2025," Enderle added. "I am not a legal expert, but it is my opinion that USMS violates this order as they are an athletic association and sport-specific governing body as referenced in the order. Thank you to the great state of Texas for standing up for women and girls!" In June 2023, Texas passed the Save Women's Sports Act, which bans trans athletes from competing in girls and women's sports and only allows students to compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificate. The law only allows schools to recognize changes made to birth certificates that were made to correct a clerical error. More legislation aimed at protecting females from trans inclusion in sports could soon be signed into law in Texas as well. Earlier this month, the Texas Senate voted to pass the Texas Women's Privacy Act by a vote of 20-11. The bill ensures women are safe in their bathrooms, locker rooms, showers and domestic abuse shelters. Meanwhile, USMS policy allows transgender swimmers to participate in the gender competition category in which they identify, and they may also be recognized for accomplishments, if certain conditions are met. One of the two conditions requires that hormonal therapy appropriately be administered continuously and uninterrupted in a verifiable manner for no less than one year. The other condition is proof of testosterone serum levels measured during the last twelve months being below five nmol/L (144.25 ng/dL). Trans swimmers who do not meet those requirements can still participate in the women's category, but their times are removed from the submitted results, and they are not eligible for official times, places, points, records, Top 10 or other forms of official recognition. Fox News Digital has reached out to USMS on the pending investigation for comment. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Texas AG launches probe into US Masters Swimming after claims biological male was allowed to compete in women's events
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into US Masters Swimming after a trans competitor placed first in five individual events at the Spring National Championship last month. Ana Caldas, 47, won the the top prize in the women's 45-49 age category for the 50 and 100-yard breaststroke, the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard individual medley in San Antonio, Texas. And Paxton has now said that he'll be investigating whether Caldas' participation in the tournament violated Texas state law. 'The policy of US Masters Swimming, which allows men to compete in women's events, is reprehensible and could violate Texas's consumer protection laws,' Paxton said in a statement first obtained by OutKick. 'Not only is this policy insulting to female athletes, but it also demonstrates deep contempt for women and may violate Texas law. I will fight to stop these unfair policies and never back down from defending the integrity of women's sports.' A source also told OutKick that Paxton will be looking into whether US Masters Swimming is engaged in 'false, deceptive and misleading acts and practices.' Caldas, who has also competed under the name Hannah, formerly competed in male college competitions, and holds numerous national records in the US Masters. Caldas has been competing at the tournament since at least 2010. In this year's tournament, Caldas easily beat the competition in the 50-yard breast stroke, winning by a massive three seconds with a time of 29.74. A spokeswoman for the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) said the difference in time between Caldas and the other swimmers was 'absolutely insane', adding to Reduxx that Caldas was 'just laughing at these women'. ICONS penned a letter to the US Masters Swimming (USMS) board implying that by allowing Caldas to compete they had violated their own fair play policies. The Daily Mail previously reached out to Caldas for comment. The board stipulates that trans women must have had hormonal therapy, and have testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L in order to compete against biological females. 'Transparency in these matters is critical to maintaining the integrity of the competition and the trust of all USMS athletes,' the ICONS letter stated. 'There is no length of time during which testosterone suppression eliminates male advantage; therefore it should not serve as a guideline permitting men to compete in women's swimming. 'At a minimum, it is USMS's responsibility to enforce its current policy.' ICONS told Reduxx that USMS did not respond to their email flagging concerns. Daily Mail contacted ICONS for confirmation. The Portuguese-born Caldas was just 0.3 seconds away from qualifying for the London Olympics in the 50m freestyle, and has also starred in several other sports. Caldas has previously ranked atop the CrossFit rankings in Portugal, per and also signed with weightlifting team the Baltimore Anthem in 2015. Amid Caldas' recent success in the pool, anti-trans activist Riley Gaines slammed the situation as as 'a real life South Park episode.' 'A man who goes by the name Ana swam five events at the US Masters Swimming National Championship. He won them all,' Gaines fumed on X. Paxton, who is running against incumbent John Cornyn for a Senate seat, has previously focused on the issue of transgender competitors in women's sports. In February, it emerged that he was investigating several school districts in Texas to make sure biological boys were not competing in women's sports. President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
Fox News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Women's swimmers speak out after unknowingly facing trans competitor, filing complaint: 'I feel betrayed'
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS), a competitive swimming membership organization with over 60,000 adult swimmers, was thrust into national controversy last week after reports surfaced that a trans swimmer won five women's events. USMS confirmed to Fox News Digital it is currently conducting an eligibility review in response to a request from a competitor at the meet. Louisiana woman and long-time swimmer Wendy Enderle said she filed the request for an eligibility review after finding out that one of the competitors she has faced for years was transgender, via a news article stemming from last week's incident. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON "I feel betrayed. Plain and simple," Enderle told Fox News Digital. Enderle most recently competed against the trans athlete at the USMS Spring National Championship in San Antonio April 26-27. The trans athlete, Ana Caldas, won gold in five races, including in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle in the 45-49 age bracket against Enderle. Enderle first ever saw Caldas in person in February 2024 at the World Aquatics Masters World Championships women's 50m freestyle in Doha, Qatar. Enderle finished with a time of 29.19, while Caldas finished in 27.91. However, Enderle said she did not directly introduce herself to Caldas until a USMS meet in Little Rock, Arkansas, in January. Upon meeting Caldas, Enderle noticed the athlete's muscles and height, but still assumed Caldas was biologically female. "I knew there was something, but I didn't know what, I had no idea she was a trans female up until this past Wednesday after the meet," Enderle said. "I was shocked… It makes me concerned, it makes me mad." Enderle submitted her request for an eligibility review against Caldas this past week. One of the main goals of that decision is to keep Caldas from competing in this year's World Aquatics Masters World Championships in Singapore. "I don't think it's right that she was competing in the women's category, and I don't believe that she should be competing in the women's category this August in Singapore," Enderle said. "I'm not trying to keep Ana, I'm not trying to keep anyone else from competing. I have nothing against trans individuals, I have nothing against LGBTQ individuals. But I believe in fairness in sports and I don't believe that men should participate in women's sports. I don't think it's fair." Fellow USMS women's swimmer Angie Griffin also swam with Caldas last week without knowledge of Caldas' birth gender. The shock of learning the news about Caldas prompted Griffin to write a formal letter of complaint to USMS. The letter also requested the organization to "re-evaluate" that recent Spring National Championship and completely overhaul its current gender eligibility policy. Griffin competed against Caldas in three races and finished behind the trans athlete in the 50-yard breastroke and 100-yard individual medley. "I couldn't stop thinking about how the integrity of individual competition had been compromised Why doesn't USMS follow the same competitive standards as the rest of the world and NCAA? Why are athletes asked to accept less transparency and fairness?" Griffin told Fox News Digital "I paid my entry fees, airfare, and hotel, trusting I'd be competing in a women's division defined by biological sex. I deserved to know the truth before stepping onto the blocks." Griffin's team did beat Caldas' team in the Women's 45+ 200 Free Relay, but Griffin still walked away from the incident feeling concerned. RILEY GAINES WANTS TO SEND A 'THANK-YOU NOTE' TO LIA THOMAS – HERE'S WHY "Reflecting on the meet, that one high point of winning the relay didn't erase the larger concern," Griffin said. While USMS is currently conducting an eligibility review based on the San Antonio meet, the organization admitted it has never disqualified a swimmer based on gender identity. "USMS has not disqualified a swimmer from official recognition based on gender eligibility after an event," the organization told Fox News Digital. USMS gender eligibility policy states that swimmers who identify as transgender are not required to provide documentation on eligibility to participate, until a request for review is made. Still, the organization said that documentation verification is rare. "If a review request is filed, our eligibility panel — composed of member leaders and subject matter experts — follows a structured, confidential process to determine whether the athlete meets the criteria for official recognition. This includes reviewing documentation the swimmer provides following our published policy," USMS said. "Cases that require documentation are extremely rare, and we follow a structured process in line with our published rules and policy. This protects athlete privacy and ensures the same standard applies to every swimmer." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP USMS policy allows transgender swimmers to participate in the gender competition category in which they identify, and they may also be recognized for accomplishments, if certain conditions are met. One of the two conditions requires that a hormonal therapy appropriately be administered continuously and uninterrupted in a verifiable manner for no less than one year. The other condition is proof of testosterone serum levels measured during the last twelve months being below five nmol/L (144.25 ng/dL). Trans swimmers who do not meet those requirements can still participate in the women's category, but their times are removed from the submitted results, and they are not eligible for official times, places, points, records, Top 10 or other forms of official recognition. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter .
Fox News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Transgender swimmer wins 5 women's gold medals at championship meet in Texas
A transgender swimmer won five women's races at the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship last weekend. The swimmer, 47-year-old Ana Caldas, dominated all five races the athlete competed in, taking gold in the women's age 45-49 category in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and the 100-yard individual medley. The controversy prompted backlash on social media. U.S. Masters Swimming's gender eligibility policy allows transgender swimmers to participate in the gender competition category in which they identify, and they may also be recognized for accomplishments, granted certain conditions are met. One of those conditions requires that a "hormonal therapy appropriate for the female gender has been administered continuously and uninterrupted in a verifiable manner for a sufficient length of time, no less than one year, to minimize gender-related advantages in sport competitions" and subsequent proof of low enough testosterone levels. Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Masters Swimming for comment. In June 2023, Texas passed the Save Women's Sports Act, which bans trans athletes from competing in girls and women's sports and only allows students to compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificate. The law only allows schools to recognize changes made to birth certificates that were made to correct a clerical error. And just last week, the Texas Senate voted to pass the Texas Women's Privacy Act by a vote of 20-11. The bill ensures women are safe in their bathrooms, locker rooms, showers and domestic abuse shelters. President Donald Trump has had an executive order in place since Feb. 5 that requires publicly funded institutions to ban trans athletes from women's and girls sports. The topic of trans competitors in women's swimming specifically became a national controversy in 2022 when former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who previously competed for the school's men's swimming team, represented the school at the NCAA championships after transitioning to the women's category. UPenn and the NCAA are facing lawsuits over Thomas' participation in women's swimming, and the Trump administration has frozen funding to UPenn and declared it has violated Title IX. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Musclebound trans swimmer Ana Caldas wins all 5 races at women's swim nationals
Unmatched Performance at National Meet Ana Caldas , a 47-year-old transgender swimmer , won all five races she entered at the us. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship last weekend in San Antonio, Texas. Competing in the women's 45-49 age group, Caldas took gold in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, the 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard individual medley. She won some events by margins rarely seen at this level, such as over four seconds in the breaststroke and three seconds in the freestyle. Footage circulating online showed her leading far ahead of other swimmers, drawing both applause and outrage. Critics quickly drew parallels to Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I swimming title in 2022, sparking renewed debate over fairness and inclusion in women's sports. — hecheateddotorg (@hecheateddotorg) A Familiar Debate Reignites Lia Thomas's collegiate victories once marked a significant moment for trans athletes but also triggered nationwide controversy. Her 2022 NCAA win in the women's 500-yard freestyle led to a federal investigation. The us. Department of Education found that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX by allowing her to compete in the women's division, ordering the school to strip her records and honors from that season. This ruling raised significant questions about how athletic bodies should balance fairness and inclusion, questions now resurfacing with Ana Caldas's dominance. Some supporters view her success as a display of determination and resilience. Others, however, see it as another example of transgender athletes potentially holding physiological advantages over cisgender women, particularly in short-distance events where milliseconds usually separate winners. Public Backlash and Athlete Reactions The reaction online has been swift and polarizing. Prominent women's sports advocate Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer, dismissed Caldas's gender identity and tweeted, 'He won them all.' Another critic, Beth Bourne, likened the situation to a 'real-life South Park episode,' a reference that quickly went viral on social media as viewers expressed disbelief at the race footage showing Caldas outpacing competitors by multiple body lengths. Bourne, who is an outspoken advocate for women's rights in sports, also called the results 'insanity,' noting, 'Anyone who competes in swimming at the national level knows this is unheard of in a 50-yard race where wins are often measured in a tenth or a hundredth of a second' at national-level events, not in multiple seconds. A spokesperson for the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) told Reduxx, 'He's just laughing at these women,' referring to Caldas's performances. ICONS also sent a letter to us. Masters Swimming (USMS), warning that allowing her to compete might violate fair competition principles. Governing Policies and a Complex Legacy Under USMS policy, transgender women may compete in women's events if they meet specific hormone-level criteria . Caldas was allowed to compete under these rules. But critics argue those standards do not adequately offset physiological advantages carried over from male puberty. Her athletic history adds further fuel to the debate: before transitioning, Caldas, born Hugo Caldas, competed in men's sports and even made three appearances at the CrossFit Games, narrowly missing a spot in the 2012 London Olympics. This background, combined with her recent dominance, has intensified calls for sporting bodies to revisit their policies. Supporters of transgender inclusion maintain that exclusion based on gender identity is discriminatory. However, critics insist that fairness for female athletes must remain a top priority. As Ana Caldas becomes the latest flashpoint in a growing cultural and legal debate, sports organizations are being pushed to clarify how best to respect identity while preserving the integrity of competition.
