Biological male swimmer Lia Thomas, who unfairly dominated the women's swimming division in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), has been barred from competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The prohibition followed his loss in a significant legal battle against World Aquatics (WA), the international governing body for swimming. The organization has implemented rules restricting the participation of transgender athletes, which Thomas sought to overturn. According to the gender-confused swimmer born William Thomas, such rules were "invalid and unlawful" under the Olympic charter and the World Aquatics constitution.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Thomas' case due to lack of standing. According to the Guardian, the court ruled in a 24-page decision that he was not entitled to challenge eligibility rules for WA competitions because he is not a current member of the organization.
According to the CAS, Thomas was "simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions" as someone who was no longer a member of USA Swimming (the body in charge of swimming events in the United States). It also upheld a ban on the 25-year-old Thomas from swimming in the female category. The gender-confused swimmer previously challenged WA's rules prohibiting anyone who has undergone "any part of male puberty" from the female category in the summer of 2022, but the legal challenge failed. (Related: Transgender NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas embraces domestic terror group Antifa.)
WA welcomes CAS decision on Lia Thomas
WA introduced its new rules after Thomas beat Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds to win NCAA gold in the women’s 500-yard freestyle in 2022. The global governing body for aquatic sports likewise welcomed the CAS ruling, hailing it as "a major step forward in our efforts to protect women's sport."
"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," it said.
While it is understood that WA was prepared to argue the merits of the scientific evidence before the CAS, the hearing solely focused on whether Thomas – who is no longer a member of USA Swimming – was allowed to challenge its rules.
“The panel concludes that since the athlete is not entitled to participate in 'Elite Event' within the meaning of USA Swimming policy, let alone to compete in a WA competition, which occurs upon registration with WA prior to a competition or upon setting a performance, which leads to a request for registration as WA world record, [he] is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions. The policy and the operational requirements are simply not triggered by her current status," the ruling stated.
The ruling is seen as a significant step in the ongoing debate over transgender athletes' participation in sports, particularly those transitioning post-puberty, YourNews wrote. The issue has prompted other sports organizations to adopt similar bans.
In September 2022, international rugby instituted rules preventing male-born athletes from competing in women’s categories. Professional disc golf followed suit in December 2023, and British Cycling implemented its own ban in May of last year.
WA and other sports organizations continue to stand by the data indicating that post-puberty biological males retain physical advantages, reinforcing their stance on maintaining competitive equity in women’s sports.
Head over to GenderConfused.com for similar stories.
Watch this clip about the lawsuit filed by Lia Thomas to overturn his ban from the Olympics.
This video is from the Neroke-5 channel on Brighteon.com.
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