telegraph paper report Transgender swimmer Leah Thomas has launched a low-key legal campaign to overturn a ban that prevents men from competing in elite women's races, including the Olympics.
Thomas, who became the first man to win a women's NCAA Division I title in 2022, has asked the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn a ban imposed by World Aquatics that prevents her from competing in elite men's competitions. I requested that. Women's competition, The Telegraph reported.
University of Pennsylvania swimmers walk after winning the 200-yard freestyle and receiving their medals during the 2022 Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool on February 18, 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. , Leah Thomas. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
World Aquatics, the world governing body for competitive swimming, was forced to reevaluate its stance on transgender swimmers after Thomas' rise to the top of women's collegiate swimming. The problems facing the organization were not limited to the pool. Further concerns were raised about the welfare and safety of female swimmers after reports that Thomas was allowed to use the women's changing room despite being a man.
by telegraph:
Mr. Thomas employs Canada's top law firm Tear, whose website describes its practitioners as “fearless and fearless” who have worked on “high-stakes, precedent-setting cases.” He introduces himself as a “defender who is not a defender.”
Submissions to CAS, even if they have a clear public interest element, are not controversially made public and are heard in private unless the parties involved agree otherwise.
Telegraph Sport reported that Thomas first appeared in court in September, when he filed a motion to dismiss the case on the basis that World Swimming was not subject to USA Swimming's jurisdiction and was therefore not currently affected by the rules. It was revealed that this was the first time since. Accredited Member Association.
Thomas' rise to the top of the swimming world sparked fierce backlash from fellow athletes who have led efforts to reform women's sports and ensure only women and girls can compete.
The most likely of those is Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who competed against Thomas at the NCAA Championships. In an interview with Fox News, Gaines talked about the shock he and other female swimmers experienced when they learned they would be sharing a locker room with men.
“We didn't consent. They didn't ask for our consent,” Gaines said. “In that locker room, we turned around and a 6-foot-4 biological male pulled down his pants and watched us undress, exposing our penises. .
“Perhaps a year or two ago, this wouldn't have been considered some kind of sexual assault, some kind of voyeurism. But now we're not just condoning it, we're not just condoning it, we're not just condoning it. It's as if large organizations are encouraging that to happen.
“For me, that was worse than the competition piece.”
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Leah smiles on the podium after winning the 200-yard freestyle at the 2022 Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool on February 18, 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.・Thomas. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Gaines tied Thomas for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle event.
World Aquatics declined a request for comment on Thomas' legal efforts. However, the organization issued a statement reaffirming the policy to be introduced in 2022.
“World Swimming’s policy on gender inclusion, adopted by World Swimming in June 2022, has been developed strictly in careful consultation with athletes and based on advice from leading medical and legal experts. ” World Swimming Executive Director Brent Nowicki said in a statement. statement. “World Aquatics believes its gender inclusion policy is a fair approach and remains absolutely determined to protect women's sport.”
