University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks to her coach after winning the 500 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on January 22, 2022.
swimmer Lia Thomas has begun legal proceedings against World Aquatics, swimming’s governing body, after it voted to restrict transgender athletes from competing in elite women’s aquatics competitions, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The swimmer is challenging certain parts of the World Aquatics’ gender inclusion policy, which went into effect on June 20, 2022, according to the international court body.
Thomas’ legal focus aims to overturn the policy that dictates male-to-female transgender athletes would only be eligible to compete in the women’s categories if they transition before the age of 12 or before they reach stage two of the puberty Tanner Stages.
“Ms Thomas accepts that fair competition is a legitimate sporting objective and that some regulation of transgender women in swimming is appropriate,” the court stated Friday in a news release.
