Lia Thomas, transgender swimmer, lost his challenge with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against rules that would stop him from competing in elite women’s races.
Thomas argued that the ban from elite competitions such as the Olympics or World Championships is discriminatory, unlawful and invalid against transgender athletes.
A panel of three judges for the CAS, a Swiss-based court, decided that Thomas didn’t have standing to appeal the policy created by World Aquatics, swimming’s international federation saying that the policy didn’t apply to her yet. CAS’s panel said that “for the time being” Thomas isn’t eligible to compete in elite competitions through World Aquatics or USA Swimming.
According to the arbitral award, “She is currently only entitled to compete in USA Swimming events that do not qualify as ‘Elite Events.’”
World Aquatics banned transgender women who have been through male puberty in women’s races. They also have proposed creating an “open category” for which transgender athletes would eligible, aside from just men and women categories.
World Aquatics said the CAS’s decision was “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.” The federation also said, “World Aquatics is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge… Our policies and practices are continuously evaluated to ensure they align with these core values, which led to the introduction of our open category.”
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to uphold the principles of inclusivity in aquatic sports and remain confident that our gender inclusion policy represents a fair approach.”
By - FZ
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