Tifanny criticizes the new CBV rule and says it is a 'huge setback'

Opposite Tifanny, who defends the Osasco São Cristóvão Saúde team, spoke out, for the first time, about the new eligibility policy of the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV), which restricts participation in competitions between women to athletes designated with female biological sex at birth.

The 41-year-old player, the first transgender player to play in the Superliga, considered it a "huge setback" and stated that she will not give up on continuing to play.

"CBV is taking away everything I have, which is the love for volleyball and the profession I've been practicing all these years. But this doesn't just affect me. It affects my club, the fans, sponsors, the people who are inspired by me and the rights of all trans people. It's a huge setback in the fight for recognition and inclusion. We're back to the shameful way in which athletes were tested in the 60s and 70s", said Tifanny, in a statement shared by Osasco press office.

"I will not remain silent and I will take all possible measures so that my fight for the right to visibility, inclusion and the practice of sport is not in vain", added the opposite, who has worked in women's volleyball since 2017 and was Superliga champion in 2025, being the first trans woman to win the country's main tournament in the sport.

The statement was made after Osasco's debut in the Campeonato Paulista of the sport, last Saturday night (15), at home, at Ginásio José Liberatti, against Pinheiros.

Despite Tifanny's 19 points, much celebrated by the Osasco fans, the visitors got the better of them and won by 3 sets to 2, with scores of 25/21, 25/16, 21/25, 23/25 and 15/11, after just over two hours of play.

The participation of the opposite team in the game, even after the new CBV policy was announced, occurred after the São Paulo Volleyball Federation (FPV) informed that the State Championship would follow the regulations in force since the beginning of the tournament. According to the entity, "possible measures" will be taken "for the next competitions [...] after analysis and manifestation from the legal and health areas".

The new eligibility criteria were announced by CBV last Friday (14). According to the entity, the goal is to comply with the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). According to the confederation, athletes must meet the criteria established by the new policy, which include presenting a negative result for the SRY gene.

Previously, trans women could perform as long as their serum testosterone levels were below a certain threshold. The new determination is now valid for this year's editions of the Superliga (in the two main divisions) and the Supercup, in addition to the Copa Brasil and the 2027 Brazilian Beach Volleyball Circuit.