Lia Thomas Loses Challenge to Overturn Transgender Ban
request for arbitration with World Aquatics, the governing body in swimming and diving events, effectively dashing any hope she had of competing in the Olympics or elite global competitions, reports The New York Times.The Lausanne, Switzerland-based international body, established to settle disputes related to elite sporting competitions, ruled that Thomas did not have standing to bring the case because she was not a member of its member federation — USA Swimming — prior to bringing her challenge.Thomas had also not competed in female events “for the purpose of qualification or selection” for World Aquatics competitions, such as the Olympics or world championships.Technically, NCAA meets, like those Thomas competed in, are not governed by World Aquatics, even though the college sporting organization has adopted a policy of deferring to individual sporting bodies to determine athlete eligibility.Thomas first began transitioning in May 2019 when she began hormone replacement therapy.
She swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s team over a three-year period from 2017 to 2020.By the fall of 2020, she met what were, at the time, the NCAA’s hormone therapy requirements for competing in female sports.
However, the bulk of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Like many NCAA athletes, she was granted another year of eligibility and began competing for the women’s team during the 2021-22 season.
She smashed longstanding school, pool, and program records in various events.Just prior to Thomas winning the 500-yard freestyle race at the 2022 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, USA Swimming responded to an outcry over her success at the collegiate level by adopting a policy meant to weed out most transgender athletes from female competitions.That policy required transgender females to go before a three-person panel of medical experts and submit bloodwork to determine whether an individual athlete had an unfair physical advantage over female.
