Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer from the US renowned for being the first transgender athlete to clinch a college title in the NCAA tournament in 2022, has faced defeat in a lawsuit against World Aquatics, which was held at the sport’s arbitration court. This ruling has dashed any hopes she held of participating in the forthcoming Paris Olympics.
The 25-year-old athlete has also been blocked from competing in women’s swimming events. She was unable to overturn 2022 regulations set by the overseeing body of swimming. These rules bar any individual who has experienced any aspect of male puberty from the women’s category.
Thomas attempted to argue that these rules were against the Olympic charter and the World Aquatics constitution and therefore should be normed as “unlawful and invalid.”
Following a 24-page judgment, the court concluded that Thomas was “not in a position to dispute eligibility to participate in WA competitions”, as she was no longer associated with US swimming.
World Aquatics greeted this news with relief, considering it a significant leap in their attempts to protect women’s sports.
The organisation pledged to prioritise an environment that ensures fairness, respect and equal opportunities for athletes irrespective of gender.
World Aquatics introduced its new rules after Thomas claimed victory over Emma Weyant, an Olympic runner-up, by a margin of 1.75 seconds, to secure NCAA women’s 500-yard freestyle gold in 2022.
A scientific document, which influenced this decision, reported that swimmers like Thomas still retain substantial physical benefits – such as strength, speed, stamina, power and lung capacity – obtained from male puberty, despite scientific methods to reduce their testosterone levels.
It’s understood that while World Aquatics was prepared to defend the merits of their scientific facts at the arbitration tribunal, the hearing was solely centred on whether Thomas, detached from US swimming, should be allowed to debate its rules.
A verdict was delivered on Wednesday affirming Thomas’ inability to challenge World Aquatics’ transgender policies based on her current standing. The panel, in a crucial segment of the ruling, stated that since Thomas is not permitted to partake in the ‘Elite Event’ as stated by USA Swimming Policy, and furthermore, to contend in a World Aquatics (WA) competition, which necessitates registering with WA ahead of any race or setting a time that prompts a world record registration request, she consequently lacks the right for eligibility for WA competitions. “The rules and functional prerequisites are simply not applicable given her present circumstances,” the panel concluded.
World Aquatics is determined to foster an inclusive atmosphere and to that end, has added an “open” category specifically for transgender swimmers. Nonetheless, the debut of this category slated for the Berlin World Cup last October was cancelled, on account of no entries being received for the 50-metre and 100-metre races across all styles, which were set to occur concurrently with men’s and women’s races.