American transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas has been banned from the Olympics after losing a legal battle challenging the rules prohibiting her participation.
The 25-year-old Thomas who transitioned to female through hormonal therapy after competing for three years as a male on the University of Pennsylvania swim team, will not be competing in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Having dominated the field of biological women to become the first openly transgender person to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022, her ascent sparked a national debate about whether it was fair for biologically male athletes who change their gender to compete in female sports leagues.
Thomas however filed a lawsuit against World Aquatics (WA), the world governing body for water sports, seeking to overturn their 2022 policy prohibiting athletes who have been through “any part of male puberty” from competing in the female category, The Guardian reported.
The matter was adjudicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a Swiss-based international body for settling disputes that arise within the world of high-level athletics, which wrote in its 24-page resolution that Thomas was “simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions.”
In a statement, World Aquatics rounded the ruling as “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport,” adding that it is “dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge.”
World Aquatics’ policy was introduced after Thomas easily defeated Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds to claim the NCAA title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event.
Meanwhile, WA introduced a new “open” category inclusive of transgender swimmers, in an attempt to include as many athletes as possible, the move was meant to debut at an event in Berlin last October.
However, the category was canceled after nobody signed up to enter the field.
