Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas lost her battle against a ban preventing trans women from competing in high-level women’s swimming, meaning she cannot participate in this month’s qualifying trials for the Summer Olympics in Paris. The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed her request for arbitration, stating she did not have the right to challenge the policy.
In 2022, World Aquatics introduced new rules allowing transgender athletes to compete in an “open” category but prohibiting those who have experienced male puberty from competing in women’s races. Thomas had previously challenged these rules, arguing they were discriminatory. The rules were established several months after Thomas, then a student at the University of Pennsylvania, became the first trans woman to win an NCAA swimming championship in 2022. She expressed disappointment in the court’s decision, viewing it as a call to action for trans women athletes. World Aquatics approved the ruling, seeing it as protecting women’s sports.
Thomas’ victory in the NCAA drew global attention, but she also faced criticism from right-wing media outlets. Riley Gaines, a vocal critic of Thomas, celebrated her legal defeat and is suing the NCAA over Thomas’ participation in the championships. Athlete Ally, an organization supporting LGBTQ inclusion in sports, denounced the ruling, viewing it as a denial of Thomas’ human rights. Hudson Taylor, the founder of Athlete Ally, emphasized the importance of hearing and adjudicating trans athletes’ experiences of discrimination.