Leah Thomas, a transgender swimmer who has already won several titles in women’s competitive swimming, lost her legal battle against World Aquatics, the international group that governs the sport, and was banned from competing in the 2024 Olympics.
According to the newspaper The keeper, The athlete has filed a lawsuit against World Aquatics at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, hoping to overturn the group’s recent rules that place strict restrictions on transgender athletes.
The rules were introduced after Leah Thomas caused outrage by winning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2022. These measures include preventing post-pubertal men from participating as transgender women. This requirement excludes not only Thomas, but also most transgender athletes.
These rules prevent Thomas from competing internationally or on the U.S. women’s swimming team.
According to the athlete, the rules should have been declared “invalid and illegal,” but the court did not agree and rejected the claim.
The news was welcomed by World Aquatics, which called it “a huge step towards protecting women’s sport.”
“World Aquatics is committed to creating an environment that promotes fairness, respect and equal opportunity for athletes of all genders, and we reaffirm this commitment,” he added.