The World Surf League also accepts criteria for transgender athletes, and some athletes express their discomfort and even offer solutions.

The WSL recently announced that, like the International Surfing Association (ISA), it will accept transgender athletes in its competitions, provided they follow the Olympic guidelines and the participation criteria of the highest governing body of surfing.

The gender eligibility rule provided by the ISA a few months ago was very clear and details the following:

1. An athlete who was assigned male at birth, and/or who identifies as male, and has male/male on his passport or national identity document is eligible to compete in a male event or as a male in a mixed event.

2. An athlete who was assigned female at birth, and/or who identifies as female, and has
A woman/female in her passport or national identity document is eligible to compete in a women's event or as a woman in a mixed event.

3. An athlete who was assigned male at birth who identifies as female and has female/feminine in their passport or national identity document is eligible to compete in a men's event, or as a man in a mixed event, if they have not met the requirements to compete in a women's event (such as maintaining a testosterone level below 3 nmol/L continuously for the previous 12 months).

4. An athlete who was assigned male at birth and who identifies as female and has male/male or "other" or "X" on their passport or national identity document is eligible to compete in a men's event or as a man in a mixed event.

5. To compete in a women's event or as a woman in a mixed event, where:
A. An athlete who was assigned male at birth and whose gender has changed and identifies as female, and/or has female/feminine, "other" or "X" on their passport or national identity card
B. The Surfer has been requested by the Executive and/or Medical Committee.

Commission to establish eligibility to compete in a women's event:

The surfer must satisfy the Medical Commission of the International Surfing Association that his serum testosterone concentration has been below 5 mol/L continuously for a period of the previous 12 months and secondly, he meets any other requirement reasonably established by the Executive Committee and/or the Medical Commission.

The media outlet Stab showed what the testosterone levels are in a normal man, which ranges from 10 nmol/L to 35 nmol/L and in the case of women it ranges from 0.4 nmol/L to 2.5 nmol/L.

This issue has been widely discussed by various athletes who have expressed their discontent, including Kelly Slater, Anthony Walsh, Rodrigo Koxa, Lucía Martiño, Shane Dorian, Bethany Hamilton, and others. These athletes have proposed creating a specific category to eliminate any social, physical, or other differences in competitions, arguing that such differences could compromise fairness and legality in the sport.

Hamilton even went further and stated that if this rule is applied, she will retire from WSL competitions.

Written by: Enrique Hernández