Transgender swimmer ban: Maria Thattil defends criticism of FINA ruling

Maria Thattil has doubled down on her view that transgender women should be allowed to compete against biological women in swimming 

The former Miss Universe Australia, 29, sparked debate on Monday when she condemned FINA, the international sports federation for swimming, for ruling that trans women can now only compete in women’s races if they completed their transition by age 12.

Discussing the announcement on Today Extra on Monday, Ms Thattil branded the decision ‘counter intuitive’ and said it sets a ‘dangerous precedent’ for sport. 

The model has since received plenty of criticism online, with some…