- World Aquatics banned transgender women after Thomas won an NCAA title
- She has hired a law firm to carry out her duties before the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has secretly waged a legal battle to overturn the decision banning her from competing against biological athletes at the international level.
As the Telegraph reports, 24-year-old Thomas has hired Canadian law firm Tyr to act before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Last year, after Thomas won an NCAA title, World Aquatics excluded from the women's category those who had gone through “any part of male puberty.”
Thomas, who has not competed since 2022, is so optimistic about her chances that she reportedly hopes to compete at the Paris Olympics. However, her case is unlikely to be heard before the start of the Summer Games this summer.
World Aquatics told The Telegraph: “The World Aquatics Gender Inclusion Policy, adopted by World Aquatics in June 2022, has been consistently developed based on the advice of leading medical and legal experts and in careful consultation with athletes.”
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has secretly waged a legal battle to overturn the decision banning her from competing against biological athletes
Thomas only competed as a man in 2019 and her rankings improved significantly after the gender transition
UPenn swimmers and divers relax on the beach in January 2020. Lia Thomas is surrounded
“World Aquatics remains confident that its gender inclusion policy represents a fair approach and remains absolutely committed to protecting women’s sport.”
Thomas only competed as a man in 2019 and her rankings improved significantly after the gender transition.
When she became the first openly transgender person to win a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I title, she sparked massive backlash, including from competitors.
When Thomas competed as a man in the same category, the 500-yard freestyle, he placed 65th, sparking outrage among activists.
Three months after her victory, World Aquatics imposed a ban on transgender women.
Under previous rules, transgender women could compete in the female category at the international level as long as their testosterone levels were below five nanomoles per liter for a year.
In January 2023, World Athletics announced that they wanted to tighten their guidelines, but said their “preferred option” was simply to reduce testosterone levels to 2.5 nmol/L and extend the transition period to two years.
This led to a fierce backlash from female athletes and women's rights activists, who called for a blanket ban on transgender athletes from competing against other women.
Following the backlash, World Athletics Council members admitted there was “little support” for their original stance during a consultation period.
World Athletics' decision followed that of swimming's world governing body FINA, which had previously announced a ban on transgender athletes from competing in elite women's races.
Trans swimmer Lia Thomas “is suing to overturn strict new rules preventing her from competing against biological athletes that were enacted after she sparked outrage – and hopes to compete in the Paris Olympics.” can”