Transgender swimmer Thomas' court case over the ban was dismissed.

Lia Thomas won the US national college championship in 2022. 

Published: 12 June 2024. 

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed American swimmer Lia Thomas's legal complaint against governing body World Aquatics. 

World Aquatics (WA) voted in 2022 to exclude transgender women from competing in women's elite races if they had undergone any stage of male puberty. 

Thomas, 25, who became the first transgender athlete to win the highest US national college title in March 2022, was seeking to reverse the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), claiming that the regulations were discriminatory. 

Cas first had to decide if Thomas was qualified to dispute the rules.

In a 24-page decision, Cas stated that Thomas was "simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions" because he was no longer a member of US Swimming, "let alone compete in a WA competition," and thus was "not sufficiently affected" by the rules to challenge them.

 WA hailed the decision, calling it a "significant step forward in our efforts to protect women's sport."

 "World Aquatics is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge," said a statement. 

"Our policies and practices are constantly reviewed to ensure that they are consistent with these core values, which led to the creation of our open category."