Lia Thomas Loses Legal Battle, Will Not Have Chance To Qualify For Olympics In A Big Win For Women’s Sports

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas will not be taking an opportunity away from a female athlete during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Thomas, the biological male who won a women’s national championship in 2022 while swimming for Penn, has officially lost a legal battle against World Aquatics in which Thomas argued their ban from competing against females was “invalid and unlawful.”

The 25-year-old was barred from swimming in the female category in the Summer of 2022 when the sport’s governing body prohibited anyone who had undergone “any part of male puberty” from competing against biological females.

World Aquatics welcomed the court’s decision to uphold the rule keeping Thomas out of the pool with females, calling it “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sports.”

“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, according to The Guardian.

It’s worth noting that World Aquatics has not banned transgender athletes from competition. The organization has introduced an “open” category for transgender swimmers. The new category was set for its debut during last year’s Berlin World Cup, but the category did not receive one single entry.