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A transgender swimmer who was at the center of a national controversy earlier this year has been banned from World Aquatics until 2030 and stripped of all competitive results from June 2022 to October 2024 after refusing to take a gender verification test.
Ana Caldas was this week on the Aquatic Integrity Unit’s suspended list for violating articles of the Global Aquatic Integrity Code related to providing false information and setting criteria for the men’s and women’s competition categories.
World Aquatics changed its gender eligibility policy in 2022, limiting transgender women’s participation in the female category to those who transitioned before the age of 12 or before reaching Tanner stage 2 of puberty.
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General view during the World Aquatics Men’s Water Polo World Cup Division 2 Qualification Final Match Romania vs China at Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europa-Sportpark (SSE) on May 07, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Caldas gained national attention in May after winning five gold medals at a USA Swimming Masters event in San Antonio, Texas, sparking outcry from some of Caldas’ opponents. Caldas dominated the women’s 45-49 age group in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and 100-yard individual medley.
Louisiana woman and longtime swimmer Wendy Enderle, who competed against Caldas in this and previous events, said she felt “betrayed” because she was never informed of Caldas’ birth sex.
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On Thursday, Enderle made a statement to PK Press Club Digital regarding World Aquatics’ decision to ban Caldas until 2030.
“I applaud World Aquatics for their decision to stand up for fairness and integrity in competitive swimming. I feel vindicated and validated, not only for myself, but for all the girls and women who have been forced to compete against men masquerading as women in our sports,” Enderle said.
“Getting on the podium at the Masters World Championships, regardless of position, is a big deal! I feel for the women who were denied this opportunity by Ana/Hannah/Hugo in 2024 while he stood on three podiums in Doha. I am happy that the women who lost this opportunity will receive the places and rewards that are rightful to them.”
Members of the United States team jump into the pool before the women’s water polo quarterfinal match between the United States and Japan on day nine of the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships at the OCBC Aquatics Center on July 19, 2025 in Singapore. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a lawsuit against the USMS in July following the San Antonio incident.
“I am suing US Masters Swimming for engaging in illegal practices by allowing men to compete in women’s events,” Paxton said in an article on X announcing the lawsuit. “The organization has cowered in the face of radical activists pushing for gender wars, and this lawsuit will hold the USMS accountable for its actions.”
