Transgender amateur Lia Thomas will not take advantage of the opportunity offered by being a female athlete during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Thomas, the biological male who won the 2022 women’s national championship while practicing for Pepp, officially lost his legal battle with the World Aquatics Association, in which Thomas argued that his ban on competing against women was “invalid and illegal.” The 25-year-old was banned from the women’s category in the summer of 2022, as the sport’s governing body banned anyone who had gone through “any part of male puberty” from competing against biological women.
World Aquatics welcomed the Court’s decision to uphold the rule keeping Thomas out of the pool with women, calling it “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sports.”
“World Aquatics is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes equity, respect, and equal opportunity for athletes of all genders, and we reaffirm that promise,” the organization said, according to The Guardian.
It is worth noting that World Aquatics has not banned transgender athletes from competing. The organization has introduced an “open” category for transgender athletes. This category was scheduled to debut during last year’s Berlin World Cup, but it did not receive any registration.
Lia Thomas joined Ottkick’s Riley Gaies after winning the NCAA title against biological females. (Photo by Rich Voe Biberstei/Ico Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thomas, who was an average swimmer at best when competing against men, is no longer a member of USA Swimming, making the court’s decision against a policy change to benefit them all the more beneficial.
The paper concludes that since the athlete is not entitled to participate in the “Elite Event” within the meaning of USA Swimming’s policy, much less compete in the WA competition, which occurs after registration in WA, before the competition or highlight, which constitutes the claim for the appeal, which is not what relates to the performance.
“The political and operational requirements are simply not triggered by their current status.”
The U.S. Olympic Trials will begin on June 15 in Indianapolis and, for the first time, will be held on a soccer field at Los Angeles Oil Stadium.
In 2022, with ESPN and ABC honoring Thomas during Women’s History Month, Thomas spoke with “Good Morning America” and made it clear that the 2024 Olympic Games were on the cards.
“Swimming at the Olympic Trials has been a goal of mine for a long time, and I would love to achieve it,” Thomas said.
Fortunately, common sense prevailed and the women will have the opportunity to compete on the women’s athletics team and represent the United States in Paris.
