Trapeze swimmer Lia Thomas will not use her athlete’s chance at the 2028 Olympic Games in Paris.
Thomas, the biological male who competed at the 2022 Women’s National Team Championships as a swimmer for the women’s national team, has officially lost a legal challenge against the World Aquatics Association. Thomas argued that his participation in the competition against women was “invalid and illegal.”
The 25-year-old has been banned from women’s swimming for the summer of 2022 after the sport’s umbrella organization barred an athlete who had passed the “male portion of puberty.”
World Aquatics welcomed the court’s decision to uphold the rule that Thomas stays away from the women’s pool and called it “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.”
“World Aquatics is committed to fostering an environment that promotes equality, respect and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we stand by this promise,” the organisation told The Guardian .
It is worth noting that the World Cup no longer excludes truss swimmers from the competition. The organization has introduced a new category for truss swimmers. This new category debuted at last year’s World Cup in Berlin, but did not receive a single starting point.
Lia Thomas stands with Outkick’s Riley Gaipes after losing an NCAA title to biological women.
Thomas, who was at best an average swimmer in the competition against the Mexican, is now also a member of USA Swimming, which took the court decision against a policy change that benefited it.
“The article concludes that an athlete, if ineligible to participate in “elite competition” under the USA Swimming guidelines, is allowed to participate in a WA competition, which is performed by WA registration prior to a competition or is excused, which is not excused, which is not excused for competition.
“The political and operational requirements are not simply triggered by their current conditions.”
The U.S. Olympic qualifiers begin June 15 in Athens and will be held on a soccer field for the first time at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In 2022, when ESPN and BC Thomas had a guest during Women’s History Month, Thomas sat down with “Good Morning America” and made it clear that the 2028 Olympics were on her agenda.
“It’s been my goal for a long time to swim in Olympic qualifying competitions , and I’d like to give that a try,” Thomas said.
Fortunately, the common denominator prevailed and the women have the opportunity to compete as a women’s swim team and represent the United States in Paris.
