Olympic
Controversial transgender swimmer Leah Thomas will not take part in the upcoming Paris Olympics after losing a court battle in which she argued that rules banning her from taking part were “invalid and unlawful”.
Thomas, 25, who transitioned to female through hormone therapy after competing as a man for three years on the University of Pennsylvania swim team, dominated a field of biological women and became the first openly transgender person to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022.
Her rise has sparked a passionate national debate about whether it is fair for biologically male athletes to change gender and compete in women's sports leagues.
According to The Guardian, Thomas has filed a lawsuit against World Aquatics, the world governing body for aquatic sports including swimming, seeking to overturn a 2022 policy that bans male swimmers from competing in the women's division.
The case was decided by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), an international body that resolves disputes in high-level athletics, which wrote in a 24-page decision that Thomas “has no standing to contest eligibility to compete in Western Australia”.
In a statement, World Aquatics hailed the ruling as “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women's sport.”
The governing body added that it is “committed to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and reaffirms this commitment.”
The World Aquatics Federation's policy was introduced after Thomas handily beat Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant in the women's 500-yard freestyle by 1.75 seconds to win the NCAA title.
Then, in a bid to include as many athletes as possible, World Aquatics introduced a new “open” category, which would include transgender swimmers, and was due to debut at the event in Berlin last October, The Guardian reported.
However, the category was cancelled as no one signed up to participate.
