Lia Thomas scandal: 5 things to know about new NCAA policy for transgender athletes

Lia Thomas scandal: 5 things to know about new NCAA policy for transgender athletes
Lia Thomas scandal has forced the NCAA to change their policy regarding transgender athletes (Patrick Smith/Getty Images and Twitter)

A lot of controversies have surrounded transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in recent times. Thomas, 22, is a transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania who has been shattering women’s records at the school. Thomas competed for three years at Penn as a man, Will Thomas, before the transition. At a meet on November 20 last year, Thomas had a 1:43:47 time in the 200-meter freestyle and 4:35:06 in the 500-meter freestyle. These times, which were records for Penn, would have placed Thomas second and third, respectively in the NCAA Women’s Championships. Thomas breaking women’s records has, like always, raised questions about how fair it is when people who are born as men compete as women. There has been a lot of debate surrounding what is fair on the field, the court, the track, and in the pool. 

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It is unclear when Thomas transitioned from male to female. However, it is known that she had competed as a man even in November 2019 on the male swim team. As per NCAA rules, at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment is required to be able to compete as a woman.