Springboard swimmer Lia Thomas will not take advantage of the opportunity to compete as an athlete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Thomas, the biological male who won the 2022 women’s national swimming championship for Pepsi, has officially lost a legal battle against World Aquatics. Thomas argued that his participation in a competition against women was “illegal and invalid.” The 25-year-old was banned from women’s swimming in the summer of 2022 when the sport’s governing body prohibited a person who had dropped out “as part of male puberty” from competing against biological females.
World Aquatics welcomed the court’s decision to uphold the rule keeping Thomas out of the women’s pool, calling it “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.” “World Aquatics is committed to creating an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunity for female athletes of all ages, and we reaffirm that commitment,” the organization said, according to The Guardian.
It’s worth noting that World Aquatics hasn’t excluded trapeze athletes from the competition. The organization has introduced an “open” category for trapeze swimmers. This new category debuted at last year’s World Cup in Berlin, but didn’t attract a single participant.
Lia Thomas performs alongside Outkick’s Riley Gaipes after losing an NCAA title to biological swimmers. (Photo: Rich Voibersteip/Icoi Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thomas, who was an average swimmer at the time of her competition against the swimmer, is now a member of USA Swimming, making it easier for the court to decide against changing the guidelines.
“The document states that, under USA Swim policy, the athlete is ineligible to participate in the ‘elite event,’ let alone compete in a WA competition, which is done by registering with WA prior to a competition or by performing a performance that results in a WA World Record registration application. He therefore simply has no right to jeopardize his eligibility to compete in WA competition,” the court stated, according to WA media.
“The current situation simply does not meet the political and operational requirements.”
The U.S. Olympic Qualifying Games begin on July 15 in Dubai and will be played for the first time on a soccer field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In 2022, when ESPN and ABC highlighted Thomas during Women’s History Month, Thomas spoke to “Good Morning America” and made it clear that the 2024 Olympics were on her agenda.
“My goal is to swim in record time at the Olympic qualifying competitions, and I would be thrilled if I could achieve that,” said Thomas.
Fortunately, the prevailing opinion has prevailed and women will have the opportunity to compete on the women’s swim team and represent the United States in Paris.
