A group of swimmers at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States were so upset by the advantages of transgender athlete Lia Thomas that they considered boycotting her last event at home – but decided not to do so for fear of being banned from the championship, according to information from the Daily Mail newspaper.
Thomas, 22, who broke several University records this season, sparked outrage over being eligible under the rules of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), a US college sports organization, to swim at women’s college events after taking a year of drug inhibitors. testosterone.
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A source close to the team of 41 women who considered the boycott told the paper that “they were ignored by the UPenn and the NCAA.” She added that “there is a feeling among some of the girls that they should make some kind of statement, take the opportunity to express their feelings about the matter.”
After considering the boycott of the competition on January 8, the swimmers decided not to do it for fear that absence from the event would jeopardize participation in the February championship, according to the newspaper.
“Knowing they don’t have the support of the school or the NCAA, they are reluctant to risk their opportunity to be part of the elite Ivy League team,” the source said.
Other sources told the Daily Mail that the controversy is likely to take center stage at the January event, which is traditionally a time for veterans to get attention (on the subject).
“It’s a very exciting day and should be a recognition for veterans of all the achievements over the years. These girls are still determined to ensure that they receive the attention they deserve and that their moment is celebrated as it should be,” the source added to the newspaper.
The father of one of the swimmers suggested protesting in other ways. “If I were me, I’d come up with a sign on my chest saying something like, ‘NCAA, Speak Up! We need answers,’” he told the Daily Mail. “But it’s possible that swimmers end up doing nothing because they’re too afraid of being seen as transphobic.”
Earlier this month, Thomas snatched his competition in the freestyle preliminaries and finals. In the finals, she achieved a winning time of 4:34.06 – good enough for a new competition record.
Thomas said she is taking a continuous estrogen and testosterone blocker medication. Prior to her transition, she competed for three years at UPenn as a man.
One Swimming World editorial warned that if the NCAA does not intervene, the impacts of this case are comparable to those of doping. “For nearly 20 years, she has built muscle and benefited from the naturally produced testosterone in her body. This force does not disappear overnight, not even with a year of suppressors”, reported the magazine’s editor.
Swimmer Nancy Lynn Hogshead, who won three gold and one silver medals at the 1984 Olympics, believes that “transgender women should compete with biological women as long as they can demonstrate that they have mitigated the athletic advantages that male puberty brings” , wrote in the Daily Mail.
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