ESPN honored former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas on Sunday as part of a «Women’s History Month Celebration» segment.
The segment touched on Thomas’ transition from male to female, her NCAA Championship win, and competing amidst 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 and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 in Atlanta. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
«People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned to have an advantage so she could win.’ She 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 about the equity of transgender women competing against biological women. She became the first transgender woman to win an Ivy League Championship and then an NCAA Championship in the 500 free.
FORMER NCAA SWIMMER STILL UPGRADED ABOUT LIA THOMAS REACHING 500 FINALS AT 2022 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lia Thomas of Pennsylvania smiles after winning the 100-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University on February 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
But the victories did not come without scrutiny and put a clearer focus on the governing bodies of various sports to set rules regarding the participation of transgender athletes.
World Athletics recently said it would exclude transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty from world ranking competitions.
Sebastian Coe of World Athletics said the organization’s decision could be guided by science.
Penn’s Lia Thomas waits to swim in a 200-yard freestyle qualifying heat at Harvard University on February 18, 2022, in Cambridge. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
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«Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights among different groups, but we remain of the view that we must uphold equity for female athletes above all other considerations,» she said. «We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and the male advantage, which will inevitably develop in the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the women’s category in the athleticism is supreme.»