Former University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) swimmer Leah Thomas said transgender swimmers must begin their gender transition at age 12 to be eligible to compete at the highest level, according to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. (CAS) press release seeking to overturn the rules mandating it.
world swimming(WA), which manages all international water sports competitions and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. policy In March 2023, men who identify as transgender are banned from competing in women's swimming competitions unless they have transitioned by the age of 12.Mr. Thomas competed As a senior, she is on UPenn's women's division, even though she previously swam in the men's division. attachment The company filed a legal defense, arguing that the policy was discriminatory, and filed an “application for arbitration” with CAS in September. according to Go to Friday's CAS press release. (Related: Sports association begins crackdown on men in women's sports)
“MS. Thomas accepts that fair competition is a legitimate sporting objective and that certain regulations for transgender women in swimming are appropriate,” the press release reads. “However, Ms. Thomas believes that the challenge provision discriminates against her in violation of the Olympic Charter, the World Aquatics Constitution, Swiss law, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence, and is therefore invalid and illegal. “Discrimination against women. And such discrimination cannot be justified as being necessary, reasonable or proportionate to achieving a legitimate sporting objective.”
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Leah Thomas (center) poses on the podium after winning the 100-yard freestyle at the 2022 Ivy League Women's Swimming Championships, while Yale University swimmer Isaac Henig (left) takes second place and Princeton University swimmer Leah Thomas (center) poses on the podium after winning the 100-yard freestyle. Swimmer Nikki Venema (right) takes third place at the Diving Championships at Blodgett Pool in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 19, 2022. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Western Australia's rules were established after Thomas became the first biological male swimmer to do so. win Thomas is asking the court to declare the policy “unlawful, void, and of no force or effect,” according to a press release.
Thomas' lawyer Carlos Sayao said: Said In a statement to the Telegraph, which first reported on the matter, it said the rules were causing “serious harm to trans women”.
“Trans women are particularly vulnerable in society and suffer violence, abuse and harassment at higher rates than cis women,” Sayao said. “Leah currently has the door closed on her future ability to practice her sport and compete at the highest level.”
Sayao and WA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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