The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the legal challenge brought by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas against World Aquatics, the global sport governing body for swimming. This decision came after Thomas sought to challenge the rules excluding trans women from international sport, including a “Trans Ban” that requires trans women to suppress their testosterone continuously from the age of 12 in order to compete in the women’s category.
However, CAS determined that Thomas did not have legal standing under Swiss Law to bring her case against World Aquatics. Furthermore, CAS considered that the Trans Ban was not triggered in Thomas’ case, as she had not been registered to participate in any World Aquatics international competitions.
Thomas expressed her disappointment with the decision through a statement provided by her legal team: “The CAS decision is deeply disappointing. Blanket bans preventing trans women from competing are discriminatory and deprive us of valuable athletic opportunities that are central to our identities. The CAS decision should be seen as a call to action to all trans women athletes to continue to fight for our dignity and human rights.”
Hudson Taylor, Founder and Executive Director at Athlete Ally, also expressed his disappointment with the decision: “By dismissing Lia Thomas’ legal challenge against World Aquatics, the CAS has denied her fundamental right to access an effective remedy for acts that violate her human rights. This is a sad day for sports and for anyone who believes that trans athletes should have the opportunity for their experiences of discrimination to be heard and adjudicated like everyone else.”
