Lia Thomas' former teammate Paula Scanlan demands apology for having to 'undress with him' at University of Pennsylvania

Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan recently demanded an apology after the first transgender gold medalist swimmer, Lia Thomas lost an appeal against the international swimming regulatory body, World Aquatics in the Court of Arbitration for Sports. Thomas had filed a lawsuit against the provisions of the World Aquatics that prevented her from competing in the women's division of swimming because she was transgender.

However, the Switzerland-based apex sports court has refrained from making any changes to the guidelines issued by the regulatory body and also remarked that Thomas is not qualified to appeal for any changes to the eligibility criteria of the organization. This hearing against Lia Thomas' appeal also crushed out her dreams of competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Following the court hearing, World Aquatics issued a statement calling out the CAS's decision as one of the prominent measures to protect the rights of the women swimmers:

"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."

Various collegiate swimmers around the American circuit have applauded this decision by the CAS. Joining them was Paula Scanlan, who took to X (formerly Twitter) and asked for an apology from the parties concerned (such as the NCAA) as she and her colleagues had to share the same locker room with Thomas.

She wrote:

"Okay, but is anyone going to apologize for forcing us to undress with him 18 times a week?"

Scanlan was one of the female swimmers at the university who had to share the changing room with Thomas and was also one of the major advocates against the NCAA's decision to allow Thomas to participate in the 2022 edition of the NCAA Championships.

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Riley Gaines reacts to Paula Scanlan demanding an apology from Lia Thomas

Riley Gaines (Image: Getty)

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines recently reacted to Paula Scanlan demanding an apology for sharing the locker room with Lia Thomas.

Gaines took to X to lash out against the various stockholders such as the NCAA and wrote:

"And not one responsible adult has given them an apology...Not the coaches, not anyone within the NCAA, certainly not any democratic elected official. Instead, they forced us to participate in his slick fetish."