American swimmer Lia Thomas has had her legal case against the governing body World Aquatics dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
World Aquatics (WA) decided in 2022 to prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s elite races if they have undergone any part of male puberty.
Thomas, 25, who made history in March 2022 as the first transgender athlete to win the top US national college title, was attempting to overturn this ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that the rules were discriminatory.
CAS first needed to determine whether Thomas was eligible to challenge the rules.
In a 24-page verdict, CAS concluded that Thomas was “simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions” because she was no longer a member of US Swimming, “let alone compete in a WA competition,” and therefore was “not sufficiently affected” by the rules to challenge them.
WA praised the ruling and said it is a “major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport”.
“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,” a statement said.
“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.”