Swimming Australia has a lot to answer for. Why are they so reluctant to defend our female champions against males appropriating womanhood in their sport?

Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus has joined other swimming greats such as Dawn Fraser and Emma McKeon in calling for fairness.

Speaking at Speedo’s Commonwealth Games swimsuit launch on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, Titmus and fellow Olympic gold medallists Emma McKeon and Mack Horton said they only wanted fairness in sport. 

“I love swimming, everyone here loves swimming and I hope that … FINA come up with rules that make it fair and enjoyable for everyone,” Titmus said.

“We want everyone to enjoy swimming in the fairest way possible and I hope that they take that into account.

“I think at the moment we have to trust what FINA and the authorities are going to do. 

“Hopefully they have our best interests at heart. We want everyone to enjoy our sport and I hope they take that into account.” 

“I feel like in sport, it has to be fair for everyone and I hope that decisions are made to make sure that it’s fair for everyone,” Titmus said.

Titmus called out FINA, an international body for swimming, but the question remains, why is Swimming Australia leaving it up to the athletes to speak out? Why aren’t they doing their job – representing and protecting our female champions?

All our swimming champions want is a fair playing field. Allowing biological males to pretend they are female in sport is unfair. Lowering testosterone, donning a costume and changing a name does not negate all the advantages of being male. They still have greater bone density, increased blood volume, more muscle mass, a larger frame and longer reach.

Come on Swimming Australia – man up and look after the girls!