Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas may have won a NCAA championship, but lost a chance to compete in the Olympics.
According to a ruling released Wednesday, the Court for Arbitration of Sport dismissed Thomas’ request for arbitration with World Aquatics, per Fox News.
The rules state that trans swimmers who have been through male puberty are prevented from competing in elite women’s events.
World Aquatics started an “open” category for transgender athletes.
Thomas wanted the Switzerland-based court to overturn the rules.
Thomas said the rules were invalid, unlawful and discriminatory.
“The panel concludes that she lacks standing to challenge the policy and the operational requirements in the framework of the present proceeding,” the court said in the ruling.
According to Newsweek, Thomas viewed this ruling as a call for action for transgender women athletes.
“The CAS decision is deeply disappointing,” the statement read. “Blanket bans preventing trans women from competing are discriminatory and deprive us of valuable athletic opportunities that are central to our identities. The CAS decision should be seen as a call to action to all trans women athletes to continue to fight for our dignity and human rights.”
The former University of Pennsylvania swimmer made headlines in 2021, after winning against rival femalecollege swimmers by large margins.
This started a debate about whether transgender swimmers should be allowed to compete against cisgender rivals of the female gender.
The panel of judges said USA Swimming had no right to change the rules.
“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,” the organization said, via USA Today. “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 organization said.
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, and critic of Thomas, released a statement per Fox News on the ruling.
“This ruling is a small victory for girls and women everywhere. I think we will see more wins like this both in the judicial courts and the courts public opinion as time goes on. Although he would never qualify, Thomas can still try out for the men’s U.S. Olympic team. I hope the NCAA now takes a similar decisive action by stripping Thomas off all awards, titles, and records he stole from deserving female athletes.”
