Lia Thomas eyes the 2024 Olympics
Former UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas has stated that he is interested in competing at the Olympic trials.
Thomas made headlines by becoming the first male swimmer to win a women's national title.
Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas hinted recently that he will not rule out a potential Olympic run in 2024.
Thomas told Sports Illustrated in March that while he is unsure how his swimming career would look after the 2021-2022 season ended, he would “love to continue doing it.”
”I want to swim and compete as who I am,” he stated.
Currently, the International Olympic Committee dictates transgender policies are determined by each individual sport.
However, the framework further dictates that sporting bodies should not assume that men have an inherent “advantage” over women, nor should men have to submit testosterone levels prior to competing in the women’s division.
Campus Reform reported in April that NCAA President Mark Emmert is considering adopting similar policies.
USA Swimming told Sports Illustrated that the governing body would have “no issue” with Thomas representing the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
USA Swimming was fundamental in establishing a route for Thomas to compete at the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships, at which he won a national title in the 500-yard freestyle.
After the NCAA declared trans-inclusion a “sport-by-sport” policy, USA Swimming issued new guidelines mandating the level of testosterone a swimmer had to maintain in order to justify a slim advantage.
The new guidelines specify male swimmers must prove that they do not have a “male” advantage and record testosterone levels below 5nmol/L for a minimum of 36 months before competing.
Thomas, however, was unaffected by these rules. Athletes who competed under the previous guidelines were, effectively, grandfathered into the old rules.
[RELATED: Lia Thomas is ‘most likely to shatter the glass ceiling,’ classmates believe]
Though USA Swimming may accept the terms of allowing Thomas to compete, it is at odds with other agencies that are advocating to keep athletes competing based on biological sex.
Earlier this month, the World Swimming Coaches Association sent a letter to FINA that urged the international organization to adopt a new standard for transgender athletes. The policy would develop a new division for trans-athletes to compete based on gender identity.
FINA, the international governing body for aquatic sports, is influential in the success of the Olympic Games.
”FINA and its aquatic disciplines are also a pillar of the Olympic Movement and give a decisive contribution to the success of the Games,” its website states.
According to the coaching association, it is unfair to ignore the biological differences between men and women. The same has been said by a former USA Swimming referee, who retired during the controversy, as well as numerous female athletes.
”For the sport of swimming, the inclusion of transgender people on the grounds of fairness cannot co-exist in the current competitive model,” the WSCA prompted.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship, has become an outspoken advocate for protecting women’s sports.
Gaines told Fox News last week that ignoring the different athleticism in men and women defies “logic, reason, science, and common sense.”
The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials will take place June 15-23 in Indianapolis. USA Swimming recently released the qualifying times swimmers will have to make in order to secure a spot on the national team.
The qualifying period will run from Nov. 30, 2022, to May 30, 2024.
Two of Thomas’ key events were listed on the timesheet. A qualifying trial time for the 100-meter freestyle is set at 55.79 for women. The 200-meter freestyle qualifying time is 2:00.89.
He swam a 48.18 to secure 8th place in the 100-yard freestyle and tied Gaines for 5th in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:43.40.
Campus Reform has contacted the WSCA, FINA, and USA Swimming for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
