Transgender Lia Thomas Loses Bid to Compete in the Summer Olympics

The sense of entitlement has been strong with Thomas since he began competing with women swimmers in college. In early interviews, he said he expected to be allowed to compete with the young women. And, his goal was to compete in the Olympics as a woman athlete.

He is 25 now and filed a lawsuit to overturn a ban on biological males competing against women so that he could compete at the Paris Olympics.

He rose to fame as the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA college title in 2022. Though he was allowed to compete in NCAA competitions, he was banned from competing in international events in 2022. Not just him but all transgender athletes. That was a ruling made by the sport's governing body in its regulations.

World Aquatics hailed the news as a 'major step forward in our efforts to protect women's sport.'

Just because Thomas now identifies as a woman does not make him a woman. Let him live as he wishes but not when it comes to sports competitions. It is deeply unfair and just plain wrong for an athlete born a male to compete against women in sports. It's happening with men who weren't successful as male athletes. They can beat women because of their physical strength and attributes. As a rule, men are bigger and stronger than women. This is biology that drugs and surgery do not change.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agrees.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed a challenge from transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who had asked the Swiss-based court to reject a policy that would prevent her from competing in women's races at elite competitions.
In its ruling, which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday, the panel of arbitrators essentially determined that Thomas did not have standing to appeal the policy created by swimming's international federation, World Aquatics, because that policy does not yet apply to her. The CAS panel found that "for the time being" she is not eligible to compete in elite competitions through World Aquatics or USA Swimming.
"She is currently only entitled to compete in USA Swimming events that do not qualify as 'Elite Events,'" according to the arbitral award.

It's good to see common sense win here.

Riley Gaines cheered the decision.

Great news! Lia Thomas won't be able to compete in women's category at the Olympics or any other elite competition.

He has just lost his legal battle in Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling.

This is a victory for women and girls everywhere.
https://t.co/fEZc47K0FA— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 12, 2024

Riley Gaines competed against Lia Thomas and bravely spoke out against the situation. She was at the forefront of a growing movement to protect women's sports.

World Aquatics released a statement to USA TODAY.

"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 federation said. "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."

Well done.

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