Swimmer Banned for Five Years for Refusing Gender-Verification Test After World Aquatics Investigation
A Masters World Record Holder has been ruled ineligible for five years with all records now disqualified. Hannah Caldas, 48, won five individual races at the U.S. Maters Swimming Spring National Championships in the women’s division.
From 2002-2004, Caldas competed in USMS events in the men’s division.
In 2012, Caldas narrowly missed qualifying for the London Olympics for Portugal.
According to reports, a review by the USMS concluded that Caldas had documents that “demonstrated she was assigned the female sex at birth and that she identifies as female.” Those reports also state that the suspension came after Caldas refused a gender-verification test.
“Chromosomal tests are invasive and expensive procedures. My insurance refuses to cover such a test because it is not medically necessary,” Caldas told The Sun. “No U.S. 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 statement by World Aquatics:
“The Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU) has imposed a five-year period of ineligibility on the Masters swimmer Hannah Caldas, running from 18 October 2025 to 18 October 2030, due to violations of the World Aquatics Integrity Code, the Policy on Eligibility for the Men’s and Women’s Competition Categories and the Operational Requirements to the Policy.”
Caldas is prohibited from any World Aquatics event as a participant or an official.
Caldas released a statement that she will retire from swimming.
“I understand and accept the consequences of not complying with a World Aquatics investigation.
“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.
“I have been swimming in sanctioned events for over 30 years, and I am prepared to let it all go.
“My life and privacy have been invaded enough. It is time to prioritize my health and personal safety.”
World Aquatics did the job USMS refused to do. Caldas is a cheater, full stop. And USMS? Still busy polishing their “inclusivity” trophy while real women are denied the medals they earned. The women from Nationals deserve better than this clown show of “leadership.”
As Caldas points out, this is “just an older-adult competition”. She wants to swim in the division where she feels comfortable. As a recreational activity, this is supposed to be friendly competition, so it seems to me perfectly fine for her to do that.
When I go to local meets, the heats are put together by seed times, so men and women will often be in the same heats. so you race people who are about the same speed, and that makes good competition. For the most part, though, my biggest competition is myself.