“We have to protect our athletes”: Lia Thomas ineligible to compete after new FINA ruling over transgender participation in women’s competitions

“We have to protect our athletes”: Lia Thomas ineligible to compete after new FINA ruling over transgender participation in women’s competitions

Lia Thomas

The controversy over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has been making headlines for quite some time now, sparking a debate in the sports world. After winning a competition in the women’s category, Thomas managed to anger fellow athletes, coaches and other alike, as several thought that she had an “unfair biological advantage”. She was denounced by several individuals from competing anymore, since it was seen as a threat to women’s sports.

While Thomas said that she did want to train for the Olympics, her dream has come to a crashing halt after the new FINA ruling that took place yesterday. The FINA voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions, and are said to be working on an ‘open’ category where they can compete instead. This new FINA rule will block Thomas from participating at all.

YouTube video

Also read: “She cannot compete with females at the Olympics”: Lia Thomas’ actions heavily discourages by Dan Wootton

FS Video

New FINA Ruling bars Lia Thomas, other transgender athletes from competing under conditions

Lia Thomas
Lia Thomas

The new FINA Ruling states that eligibility for male-to-female transgender athletes at competitions will only be if “they can establish to FINA’s comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later”. The policy was passed with a roughly 71% majority after it was put to the members of 152 national federations with voting rights.

“We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women’s category at FINA competitions,” said FINA President Husain Al-Musallam according to Reuters.com. “FINA will always welcome every athlete. The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level. This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way. I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process.” FINA will allow female-to-male transgender athletes to compete in men’s competitions completely.

Also read: “Nobody deserves it more”- Michael Phelps and Lindsey Vonn head to US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame

Also read: Who are Lia Thomas’ parents? Know all about Lia Thomas’ family