In a shocking announcement, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) blocked a challenge from transgender swimmer Lia Thomas making it so that Thomas cannot compete in the women's category in the Olympics or any other elite swimming competition.
Thomas dominated the Women’s Division of the NCAA Championships back in 2022, when he won a Division 1 title. Since then, critics, rightfully so, have called out the unfairness and lack of safety of having to compete against and with a biological man.
World Aquatics is the Swiss-based world governing body for all aquatic competitions. The group noted that, due to the fact that Thomas has gone through male puberty, he isn’t allowed to compete in the women’s category.
Thomas didn’t like that, obviously, and filed a lawsuit against World Aquatics claiming that it is “invalid and unlawful” to ban him from female sports and insisted that he should get to compete with biological women even though, biologically, Thomas is (and always be) a man.
The matter was adjudicated by the CAS, which essentially told Thomas that he isn’t even qualified for “elite events” or the Olympics, so his little lawsuit was pointless.
According to USA TODAY Sports, which obtained the ruling, “The CAS panel found that ‘for the time being’ she is not eligible to compete in elite competitions through World Aquatics or USA Swimming, so the policy does not apply to her” adding that “She is currently only entitled to compete in USA Swimming events that do not qualify as 'Elite Events.’”
According to the USA TODAY Sports report, World Aquatics “welcomed” the decision noting that it was “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.”
World Aquatics also noted:
World Aquatics is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge. Our policies and practices are continuously evaluated to ensure they align with these core values, which led to the introduction of our open category.
We remain committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to uphold the principles of inclusivity in aquatic sports and remain confident that our gender inclusion policy represents a fair approach.
The decision cited scientific documentation noting that swimmers like Thomas have significant physical advantages over biological women, which we’ve been saying for years.
In response to the news, Riley Gaines, a swimmer who had to go up against Lia Thomas in college tweeted the following:
Great news! Lia Thomas won't be able to compete in women's category at the Olympics or any other elite competition.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 12, 2024
He has just lost his legal battle in Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling.
This is a victory for women and girls everywherehttps://t.co/fEZc47K0FA
Others commented things like, “Good, no elite female athlete will have to lose out to this mediocre 6’4ft male swimmer.” And others wrote, “Is this a glimmer of hope? Can women have their sport back now, please? The trans-patriarchy had their fun, but time to get back to reality!”
Hopefully, U.S. competitive swimming and other types of athletics follow suit and recognize how men do not belong in women’s sports.
