The US swimmer Lia Thomas, who rose to global prominence after becoming the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA college title in March 2022, has lost a legal case against World Aquatics at the court of arbitration for sport – and with it any hopes of making next month’s Paris Olympics.

The 25-year-old also remains barred from swimming in the female category after failing to overturn rules introduced by swimming’s governing body in the summer of 2022, which prohibit anyone who has undergone “any part of male puberty” from the female category.

Thomas had argued that those rules should be declared “invalid and unlawful” as they were contrary to the Olympic charter and the World Aquatics constitution.

However, in a 24-page decision, the court concluded that Thomas was “simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions” as someone who was no longer a member of US swimming.

The news was welcomed by World Aquatics, who hailed it as “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport”.

  • @Altofaltception
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    146 months ago

    Obviously the solution is to have a separate trans Olympics.

    /S

      • @[email protected]
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        146 months ago

        I’m scared to reply, but is this not a plausible outcome? She is still a she, but could she compete on the men’s team?

        • @[email protected]
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          186 months ago

          I’m not 100% sure about every sports organization on the planet, but generally speaking the men’s divisions are open to women and nonbinary people. I can’t seem to find much in the olympic rulebook, and it also doesn’t seem to have been tested or ruled on.

        • @someguy3
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          6 months ago

          Yes but when your testosterone goes down, your performance will go down. Unlikely she would be able to perform well enough in high performing men’s leagues.

    • @arin
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      26 months ago

      Actually that should be fine

    • @[email protected]OP
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      -96 months ago

      I hate that idea, but if that’s all trans people can get I guess it’s better than nothing. :/

      • @[email protected]
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        206 months ago

        There aren’t enough trans people to facilitate such an event. Most of us are also impoverished and have extremely poor life outcomes as adults by comparison with cisgender people of the same relative class. So there are very few of us to begin with, fewer who are interested in athletics, and much fewer who have any real ability to compete in athletic competitions.

        • @[email protected]
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          226 months ago

          Not to mention the whole “being publicly LGBTQ+ for a televised event” in many countries is borderline suicidal behavior to begin with.