Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas' Professional Career Hits a Brick Wall After Major Ruling

Lia Thomas, a biologically male “transgender” swimmer who recently defeated a bunch of biologically female women to win the NCAA women’s swimming championship, had big aspirations after leaving the University of Pennsylvania. That included dreams of crushing physically disadvantaged women at the Olympics.

FINA is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competitions in water sports. It is one of several international federations which administer a given sport or discipline for both the IOC and the international community.

A new ruling by FINA has erected a brick wall up in Thomas’s career path.

World swimming’s governing body effectively banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s events.

“If you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” the spokesperson for FINA says. https://t.co/PC7Vwgm4Cs

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 19, 2022

World swimming’s governing body effectively banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s events on Sunday.

FINA members at the organization’s extraordinary general congress voted 71.5% in favor of its new “gender inclusion policy” that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events.

“This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” James Pearce, who is the spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press.

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The idea that a fully formed male such as Thomas has been able to compete against women to this point is just nuts. This is a person who suddenly decided they are a “woman” just a few years ago. When you see Thomas, the physical dominance is staggering, and the NCAA should be ashamed of itself for letting this go on.

That it took an international body to finally make this decision isn’t comforting either. If the situation had been left in the hands of just Americans (such as the NCAA), Thomas would have been allowed to keep abusing the system and the sport. There’s some irony in the fact that it was a bunch of Eurotrash bureaucrats that did the right thing.

Returning to the details, Thomas can still swim against other males or he can choose to swim in what is described as a new “open” division, which will presumably cater to those who consider themselves transgender.