Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas will not seize the opportunity to compete as an athlete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Thomas, the biological man who won the 2022 women’s national swimming championship for Penn, has officially lost a legal battle against World Aquatics, in which Thomas argued that his ban on competing against women was “invalid and illegal.”
The 25-year-old was banned from swimming in the women’s category in the summer of 2022, when the sport’s governing body banned all swimmers who had gone through “any stage of male puberty” from competing against biological women.
World Aquatics welcomed the court’s decision to uphold the rule barring Thomas from the women’s pool, calling it “an important step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.”
“World Aquatics is committed to creating an environment that promotes equality, respect and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders, and we reaffirm this commitment,” the organization said, according to The Guardian .
It is worth noting that World Aquatics has not barred transgender athletes from competing. The organization has introduced an “open” category for transgender swimmers. The new category was first introduced at last year’s World Cup in Berlin, but did not welcome a single participant.
Lia Thomas stands next to Outkick’s Riley Gaines after winning an NCAA title against biological women. (Photo: Rich Von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thomas, who was at best an average swimmer when she competed against men, is no longer a member of USA Swimming, making it very easy for the court to decide not to change the policy in her favor.
“The panel concludes that the athlete is simply ineligible to compete in WA events because, under US Swimming policy, he is not eligible to compete in an ‘elite event,’ let alone a WA event. This occurs when he registers with WA prior to a competition or performs a performance that results in a claim to be registered as a WA world record,” the court said, according to the WA press office.
“The current situation simply does not meet the political and operational requirements.”
The U.S. Olympic Qualifying Games will begin June 15 in Indianapolis and will be played on a football field for the first time, Lucas Oil Stadium.
In 2022, when ESPN and ABC paid tribute to Thomas as part of Women’s History Month, Thomas sat down with “Good Morning America” and made it clear that she was thinking about the 2024 Olympics.
“It’s been my goal for a long time to swim in Olympic qualifying events and I would love to see that happen,” Thomas said.
Fortunately, common sense prevailed and women were given the opportunity to compete on the women’s swimming team and represent the United States in Paris.
