‘We are doing our best to learn and educate ourselves on the appropriate balance’: USA Swimming breaks silence on transgender athlete policy
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Lia Thomas
The widespread uproar around transgender swimmer Lia Thomas‘ meteoric rise led the NCAA to re-evaluate their NCAA changes transgender athlete policy. Lia, who was born as a biological man, has been competing in the women’s category since the fall and has been making ripples with some breathtaking performances.
As the 22-year-old transgender woman who represents the University of Pennsylvania has been making waves in the Ivy League with her record-breaking performances, there have been claims that her participation is unjust for the women in the division. As NCAA reconsiders their participation policy, USA Swimming has released a statement sharing that it has been working with FINA to bolster its policies over the issue.
“USA Swimming firmly believes in inclusivity and the opportunity for all athletes to experience the sport of swimming in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity and expression,” the organization said in a statement. “We also strongly believe in competitive equity, and, like many, are doing our best to learn and educate ourselves on the appropriate balance in this space.”
“Following broad transgender policy changes in Nov. 2021, the IOC now requires International Federations to create their own sport-specific eligibility requirements, and so we have been proactively working with FINA for several months to help shape and support their policy development efforts. We believe they will release a new policy shortly, which we will adopt for elite-level competitions.”
NCAA changes transgender athlete policy
As the dissent around the issue intensified, the NCAA changed their transgender athlete policy. The governing body has decided to follow a sport-by-sport model similarly adopted by the U. and international Olympic committees. The new NCAA policy, which will be effective immediately, means swimming athletes will be governed by USA Swimming policies, which follow the International Olympic Committee.
“We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports,” said John DeGioia, chair of the board. “It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy.“
Lia Thomas has been the lightning rod of the issue. She swam for Penn’s men’s swimming team for three years in NCAA Division I competition before undergoing testosterone suppression therapy. After the Ivy League cancelled the 2020-21 season, she joined the women’s team and has been unstoppable ever since.
Her extraordinary success has sparked a storm over her participation. Thomas’ teammates have come forward to voice their concerns over the issue and their parents have even written letters questioning her participation. Lia Thomas won the 500 years freestyle by 14 seconds and the 1650 yard race by a whopping 38 seconds with her closes rival lagging by two laps.
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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