ESPN on Sunday honored former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas as part of a “Celebrating Women’s History Month” segment.
The segment brought up Thomas’ transition from male to female, her win at the NCAA Championships and competing amid criticism from the swimming world.
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Lia Thomas looks on from the podium after finishing fifth in the 200-yard freestyle during the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship on March 18, 2022, in Atlanta. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
“People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage so she could win.’ I transitioned to be happy,” Thomas says in the segment.
Thomas’ participation in NCAA women’s swimming during the 2021-22 season sparked a growing debate over the fairness of transgender women competing against biological females. She became the first transgender woman to win an Ivy League Championship and later an NCAA Championship in the 500 free.
EX-NCAA SWIMMER STILL UPSET OVER LIA THOMAS MAKING IT TO 500 FINALS IN 2022 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas smiles after winning the 100-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League women’s swimming and diving championships at Harvard University, Feb. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
But the wins didn’t come without scrutiny and put a sharper focus on the governing bodies of various sports to set rules regarding transgender athletes’ participation.
Recently, World Athletics said it would exclude transgender female athletes who have been through male puberty from world rankings competitions.
World Athletics’ Sebastian Coe said the organization’s decision could be guided by science.
Penn’s Lia Thomas waits to swim in a qualifying heat of the 200-yard freestyle at Harvard University, Feb. 18, 2022, in Cambridge. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
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“Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations,” he said. “We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage, which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.”
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