The case of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who challenged rules preventing her from participating in competitions reserved for elite women, was refused, as judges determined that it had no valid legal basis.
The three-judge panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) therefore refused Thomas’ request for arbitration in concert with World Aquatics, in a judgment published on Wednesday.
World Aquatics prohibits women who were men at the time of puberty from competing in events reserved for elite women. The organization that oversees swimming on the planet has also created an “open” category, in which transgender athletes can participate.
Thomas had asked Swiss sports courts to overturn a decision approved in 2022 that she considered invalid, illegal and discriminatory.
Thomas has represented the University of Pennsylvania and won the U.S. collegiate title in events that are not sanctioned by World Aquatics, an organization where she is not registered.
“The committee concludes that she did not have the necessary legal grounds to challenge the regulation as well as the operational requirements in the current procedure,” read the court judgment.
The judges noted that USA Swimming does not have the authority “to modify such an important procedure” enshrined in the World Aquatics rules.
The organization said it welcomed the CAS’s decision in a case “which will have a major impact in our mission to protect women’s sport.”
To watch on video