A biological male athlete who had previously competed in the men’s fencing competition won the women’s division at the FIE Veteran Fencing World Championships. This athlete had previously competed in the men’s fencing competition. This athlete’s past experience includes participation in a men’s fencing competition. Liz Kocab, who stands at six feet tall and has won 14 championships herself, competed against another female competitor in the age group for those 70 and over in order to win the title. She was victorious in this competition and took home the championship. At this moment, Kocab has been victorious in the world championship competition for the Veteran Women’s Epee division for the seventh consecutive year.
The United States of America Fencing Association celebrated Kocab’s victory by writing a message on Instagram in which they praised the athlete on his or her achievement and thanked Kocab for his or her contribution. A policy that is in effect at USA Fencing allows athletes to compete in tournaments according to their gender identification and/or expression, regardless of the sex that was predetermined for them at the time of their birth. This is the case even though the sex of an individual cannot be changed after birth. The International Olympic Committee gives its blessing for male athletes to take part in women’s competitions once they have stopped using testosterone-suppressing medicine for a full year. This gives them the opportunity to compete in women’s events.
Recently, the Chief Executive Officer of USA Fencing, Phil Andrews, expressed the organization’s unequivocal support for the preservation of the rights of nonbinary and transgender athletes in the sport of fencing. He highlighted their dedication to accommodating transgender athletes in the sport, and he emphasized that they would continue to assist these athletes even while they conducted scientific research on the physiological effects of gender transition in fencing. He said that this research would be completed in the near future. Additionally, he emphasized that there will be no discrimination of any kind taken against transgender athletes in any facet of the sport.
Kocab revealed in an interview with USA Fencing after she had won the women’s title that the decision to compete was made in order to show support for USA Fencing and express gratitude to the organization. The interview took place after she had won the women’s title. The comments that Kocab made were made in consideration of the fact that the interview had been done by USA Fencing.
However, Riley Gaines, who competed as a swimmer in college and is now an activist for women in sports, has expressed her unhappiness with Kocab’s victory in the women’s division. Gaines is a proponent of equal opportunities for women in sports. She referred to Kocab as a “cheat” for the fact that he won a championship in a women’s competition despite the fact that he was competing as a male athlete. Before that, Gaines had competed in a swimming competition and finished in a tie for first place with Lia Thomas, a transgender male swimmer. Gaines and Thomas were both male swimmers. The decision that the NCAA made regarding rankings stoked the flames of contention.