Lia Thomas’ Olympic Dreams Shattered: Transgender Swimmer Banned After Devastating Legal Defeat

The 25-year-old American swimmer made history as the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA national championship, capturing the women’s 500-yard freestyle event in 2022. However, her triumphant moment triggered a wave of controversy, leading to World Aquatics’ decision to ban anyone who has “undergone male puberty” from participating in women’s races—a rule that directly affects Thomas, who began hormone replacement therapy in 2019.

Despite her vigorous opposition to the rule since its introduction in 2022, Thomas received a devastating blow when the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against her on June 12, 2024. The three-judge panel upheld the regulations detailed in World Aquatics’ Competition Regulations, which require transgender female athletes to prove they have not experienced male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before the age of 12 to compete in female categories.

Specifically, section 5.5.2 of the updated regulations, effective January 1, 2024, states that athletes must have complete androgen insensitivity or have suppressed male puberty before the age of 12 and maintain their testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L.

Thomas’ legal challenge, which accused the rule of being discriminatory and unlawful, ultimately failed, leaving her Olympic dreams shattered and the sports world embroiled in heated debate over fairness and the future of transgender athletes in competition.

Thomas had petitioned the Switzerland-based court to overturn the rules, arguing that they were invalid, unlawful, and discriminatory.

“The panel concludes that she does not have the right to challenge the policy and operational requirements within the present procedure,” the court said in a ruling.

The three-judge panel stated that USA Swimming did not have the authority to “modify the scope of application” of its 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 commitment,” the organization said in a statement via USA Today. “Our policies and practices are continuously evaluated to ensure alignment 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 inclusion in aquatic sports and remain confident that our gender inclusion policy represents a fair approach.”

Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, who hosts the “Gaines for Girls” podcast on OutKick and is the director of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, issued a statement on the ruling.

“This ruling is a small victory for girls and women everywhere. I believe we will see more victories like this in both the courts of law and public opinion as time goes on. While he [Thomas] would never qualify, Thomas can still try out for the U.S. Men’s Olympic team. I hope the NCAA now takes similarly decisive action by stripping Thomas of all the awards, titles, and records he stole from deserving female athletes.”

Tyr LLP, which represented Thomas in the case, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The ruling also crushes any hope Thomas had of making it to the Olympics.

World Aquatics’ policy for transgender athletes essentially bans any biologically male athlete from competing in female events unless they transitioned before the age of 12 or before experiencing “any part of male puberty.”

The policy change was driven by guidelines and recommendations from the International Olympic Committee in November 2021, which advised all international federations to develop their own sport-specific eligibility criteria for the female category.