Lia Thomas, the US swimmer who gained global recognition as the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA college title in March 2022, has lost a legal case against World Aquatics at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, effectively ending her hopes of competing in the Paris Olympics next month.
The 25-year-old remains barred from competing in the female category after failing to overturn rules set by the governing body of swimming in the summer of 2022. These rules prohibit individuals who have undergone βany part of male pubertyβ from participating in the female category.
Thomas contended that these rules were βinvalid and unlawful,β arguing they violated the Olympic charter and the World Aquatics constitution. However, in a 24-page decision, the court ruled that Thomas was βsimply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitionsβ since she is no longer a member of USA Swimming.
World Aquatics welcomed the decision, calling it βa major step forward in our efforts to protect womenβs sport.β The organization emphasized its commitment to fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders.
World Aquatics introduced its new rules after Thomas defeated Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds to win NCAA gold in the womenβs 500-yard freestyle in 2022. According to a scientific document that informed their decision, swimmers like Thomas retain significant physical advantagesβsuch as endurance, power, speed, strength, and lung sizeβfrom undergoing male puberty, even after reducing testosterone levels through medication.
While World Aquatics was prepared to defend the scientific evidence at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the hearing focused solely on whether Thomas, who is no longer a member of USA Swimming, had the standing to challenge the rules. The court ruled on Wednesday that Thomas had no standing to sue World Aquaticsβ transgender policy. A key paragraph from the ruling stated: βThe panel concludes that since the Athlete is not entitled to participate in βElite Eventβ within the meaning of USA Swimming Policy, let alone to compete in a WA competition…she is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions.β
World Aquatics insists it is striving to be inclusive and has introduced an βopenβ category for transgender swimmers. However, plans to debut this category at the Berlin World Cup last October were canceled due to a lack of entries for any of the 50m and 100m races across all strokes, which were scheduled to take place alongside male and female races.
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