Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas asks CAS to end race ban rules

[Jessica_Rose]

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas asks CAS to end race ban rules

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/transgender-swimmer-lia-thomas-asks-cas-to-end-race-ban-rules/ar-BB1hjIcw?cvid=19ed6ee170874ea68cf012f12a2dc423&ei=5

ESPN (26 Jan 2024)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has asked a Swiss sports court to overturn rules imposed by World Aquatics that stop her from competing in elite women's races, saying they are discriminatory.

"Ms Thomas seeks an order from the CAS declaring that the [World Aquatics rules] are unlawful, invalid, and of no force and effect," said the court based in the Olympic home city of Lausanne, Switzerland.

World Aquatics agreed on rules in June 2022 that banned transgender women who have been through male puberty from competing in women's races.

"Ms Thomas accepts that fair competition is a legitimate sporting objective and that some regulation of transgender women in swimming is appropriate," the Swiss court said.

"However, Ms Thomas submits that the [rules] are invalid and unlawful as they discriminate against her," CAS said, citing "the Olympic Charter, the World Aquatics Constitution, and Swiss law including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women."

Thomas argued that "such discrimination cannot be justified as necessary, reasonable, or proportionate to achieve a legitimate sporting objective," the court said.