A transgender woman competed topless after being required to race against men at a swimming event.
Anne Isabella Coombes, 67, is a longtime resident of Reading, England. She took part in the Cornwall County Masters Championship.
Coombes is a transgender woman and said the competition rules placed her in an unfair position. She was required to compete against men under Swim England’s gender policy. In protest, she wore the same men’s swimming trunks as male competitors.
The decision meant Coombes competed without a women’s swimming costume. She said the situation exposed problems within the rules. She also said the policy singled out transgender swimmers in practice.
Coombes said she had asked what costume she was supposed to wear. She said officials told her to wear a women’s swimming costume. She believed that requirement would identify her as a transgender woman.
“I explained to the person on the phone that they are not allowed to do that,” she said.
Coombes said the protest was intended to show the policy had not been properly considered. She also rejected the idea that she had an unfair sporting advantage. She said transgender people were not dominating swimming competitions.
“I want to make it clear through this protest that trans people are not a threat when it comes to sport,” she said.
Swimwear rules raised concerns
Coombes said she was told referees could decide whether her swimwear was acceptable at events. That decision could depend on whether clothing met standards of “good moral taste.” She said this created uncertainty before she even arrived to compete.
She argued that no other swimmer faced the same concern about clothing approval, she also said the rules treated her as male by default. That was because she had to enter the open category under the policy.
Coombes began transitioning five years ago at the age of 62. She had already been a member of Reading Swimming Club for 30 years. In 2022, she applied to swim as a female competitor for the first time.
She later provided information about her transition to Swim England. After reviewing those details, the organisation allowed her to compete in a female category. That approval applied to a 2023 masters event in Sheffield.
Coombes said masters swimming was usually open and inclusive. She said organisers normally tried to let anyone take part. At the Sheffield event, she finished second in her race.
The swimmer who finished first was a full length ahead of Coombes. Coombes said that competitor also broke a European record. She said the result showed she was not taking places from other swimmers.
Policy changed after earlier approval
By September 2023, Swim England had introduced new gender regulations. The policy created two categories for competition. Those categories were listed as female and open.
Under the policy, only athletes who declared a birth sex of female could enter female events. The open category included athletes with a birth sex of male. It also included transgender and nonbinary competitors.
The policy did not specify every possible situation involving transgender and nonbinary athletes. It did not state where transgender or nonbinary athletes assigned female at birth should compete. That omission added to concerns about how the rules worked.
Coombes was placed in the men’s competition because of the policy. She responded by wearing the same swimwear as the men in the event. She said the decision highlighted contradictions in how the rules were applied.
Her protest focused on both competition categories and swimwear requirements. She said being told to race against men while wearing female swimwear created a problem. She believed that combination exposed her private information unnecessarily.
Coombes also pointed to her race results when discussing sporting fairness. She did not beat any men in the solo races she entered. She said those results challenged claims about transgender athletes having automatic advantages.
Coombes said issue was broader than one race
Coombes said her protest was not only about one competition. She said it was about showing how policies affect transgender athletes, she believed the rules were not designed with transgender swimmers’ experiences in mind.
She also said the debate should reflect what is happening in actual competitions. According to Coombes, transgender athletes are not winning everything. She said that would be a different discussion if circumstances changed.
Her case drew attention because it combined gender rules with swimwear regulations. It also highlighted tensions around inclusion in masters sport. The event became part of a wider debate about transgender participation in athletics.
Coombes said the current issue remained a non-issue in competitive terms. She said she would discuss other options if transgender swimmers began dominating events. For now, she said the policy unfairly targeted transgender people.
The swimmer’s topless protest was intended to make those concerns visible. It also raised questions about how sporting bodies apply gender policies. Coombes said no other swimmer had to manage the same uncertainty before competing.
