Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas out of Paris Olympics 2024 hunt after losing legal battle to World Aquatics

Lia Thomas, the first transgender swimmer to win the NCAA Championship in 2022, has lost a legal battle against the World Aquatics, ending her chances of competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport also barred the swimmer from competing in any of the elite events.

World Aquatics amended its eligibility rules for female competitions in 2022 following Thomas’ victory in the women’s 500-yard freestyle competition. She beat Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant by a huge margin of 1.75 seconds, sparking outrage over social media.

The swimming governing body introduced new rules after Thomas’ victory, barring swimmers from competing in the women's category who had undergone ‘any part of male puberty’ from the female puberty. While Thomas hasn't featured in any elite competitions since, she had filed a case against the World Aquatics, arguing that the latest rules were ‘invalid and unlawful’.

CAS released the decision on the matter on Wednesday and dismissed Lia Thomas’ challenge of the World Aquatics rules for transgender swimmers. A statement from the 24-page decision read:

“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, she is simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions."

Thomas, who had filed the case to become eligible to compete at the Olympic Games, won't be able to take the flight to Paris now. The 25-year-old is barred from all the World Aquatics competitions and USA Swimming’s elite events. However, she is eligible to participate in other non-elite competitions.

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World Aquatics welcomes CAS decision on Lia Thomas

2022 Ivy League Womens Swimming and Diving Championships

World Aquatics has maintained its stance on the transgender participation in the women's swimming events. After it implemented the new rules in 2022, the organization argued that transgender swimmers such as Lia Thomas possessed physical advantages over female swimmers because they had gone through male puberty.

After it won the legal battle against Thomas at CAS, the organization hailed the decision as a ‘major step’ in its 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," a part of the statement read (via Guardian).