Lia Thomas has been told whether she will compete in this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
US Olympic hopeful Lia Thomas is no longer eligible to participate in the upcoming Paris games after losing a legal case against World Aquatics.
Lia Thomas, the first transgender athlete to ever win a NCAA title, was in arbitration with World Aquatics over her eligibility to participate in the women’s swim competition.
New Eligibility Rules
World Aquatics introduced a new rule in 2022 that stated anyone who has experienced “any part of male puberty” is barred from the female category.
Challenging the notion, Thomas said that this rule should be declared “invalid and unlawful” in the eyes of the laws.
The court found that Thomas is “simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions” since she is no longer considered a member of USA Swimming.
World Aquatics agrees with the outcome, and called it “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sports”.
WA said, “World Aquatics is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge.”
The Background
The new rules were created in response to Thomas beating the Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant in the NCAA women’s 500-yard freestyle in 2022.
The document used in the arbitration said that transgender male-to-female athletes have an advantage over female athletes, specifically in endurance, power, speed, strength, and lung power.
It included scientific evidence that these advantages are from experiencing male puberty, regardless of the lower testosterone levels post-transition.
World Aquatics was prepared to support their decision across the board, but this specific arbitration was only focused on whether Thomas would be allowed to participate in the Olympics if she was not recognized as a member of USA Swimming.
On Wednesday, June 15th, the court decided that Thomas did not have legal standing to sue World Aquatics policy on transgender athletes.
The court said, “The panel concludes that since the Athlete is not entitled to participate in ‘Elite Event’ within the meaning of USA Swimming Policy, let alone to compete in a WA competition, which occurs upon registration with WA prior to a competition or upon setting a performance which leads to a request for registration as WA world record, she is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions.”
Continuing, “The policy and the operational requirements are simply not triggered by her current status.”
In response, World Aquatics has said that they are not pursuing this case to be prejudiced and have promised to make changes to further their inclusive practices.
They announced their plan to create a new “open” category in swimming for transgender athletes last October.
Unfortunately, it was canceled before the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup due to a lack of entries.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Master1305.
