The change in the NCAA's strategy for participating in transgender participation directly determines whether Leah Thomas will be able to participate in the Winter Swimming Championships in March.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that its policy on transgender participation will be determined on a per-sport basis. If the sport does not have a national governing body, then the NCAA campaign will follow the policies of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The NCAA said the policy would begin with the Winter Championships. The NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships will be held March 16-19 at the Macaulay Aquatics Center in Atlanta.
Under the new NCAA policy announced Wednesday, nothing can stop Lia from competing in the NCAA tournament in March. There's a framework, some guidance, but no one would think it's in the middle of it —Braden Keith, co-founder and editor-in-chief of SwimSwam, told Fox News on Thursday.
Lia Thomas swims for Penn. (Penn Athletics)
"Over the past 24 hours, the sport's internal pressures have increased the pressure on the U.S. Swim Team and FINA to make decisions, to set rules or thresholds, which has left them in a bind – they've had that responsibility, the responsibility to decide what the NCAA rules are, imposed on them, when I'm sure they want to be able to play a little longer on the road."
John Lohn, editor-in-chief of Swim World, wrote Thursday that the NCAA was essentially shirking responsibility in making its decision, failing to make a "clear ruling" on the matter.
With the NCAA tournament less than two months away, Thomas may be allowed to play according to a statement released by the NCAA. Or, she probably won't. The situation is unresolved. Whether she likes it or not, the Atlanta game isn't a problem here. The point is that the NCAA has a chance to make a definitive ruling on Wednesday," Lorne wrote. "It could have relied on scientific research and transgender inclusion and what requirements need to be met to make decisions." If it's not ready to make a final decision, it may delay that decision slightly. ”
The American College Swim and Diving Coaches Association also slammed the ruling and called on the NCAA to expand the number of participants by one position this time.
Women's groups say the NCAA's transgender engagement policy "is an act of cowardice."
The American College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) stands with ivy league schools, the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Athletics team in support of Leah Thomas' right to compete. We further condemn the hatred against Ms. Thomas and feel that it has no place in swimming and diving," the group wrote.
"Yesterday's council decision is not a solution. The NCAA's previous policy on transgender engagement, while groundbreaking, was outdated, and yesterday's decision missed an opportunity to lead this important discussion. With a billion-dollar budget, designated sports science institutes, and subject matter experts, the NCAA can take a leadership role in ways that other national governing bodies (NGB) can't. We call on the NCAA to work with its members, community leaders, medical and mental health professionals, and the NGB to develop a solution that embraces inclusion while ensuring a competitive playing field.
Hunter Martin/Getty Pictures
On January 8, 2022, in three games against the Yale Bulldogs and Dartmouth Big Greens at Sheerr Pool on the Campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Quaker Lia Thomas smiled after winning the 200-yard freestyle, Pennsylvania.
"While there is a desire to discuss and resolve issues quickly, a thorough, deliberate and scientific discussion of the balance of inclusiveness and equity takes time. In light of this situation, we call on the NCAA Level 1 Competition Oversight Committee to expand this year's "cap on the number of people participating in tournaments to one position." This will allow Ms. Thomas and other cis-gender female athletes who have been granted the right to participate in the NCAA Tournament to participate in this year's event. ”
Following the NCAA policy update, the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League vowed to support transgender athletes
The NCAA's updated policy states that by March, "transgender student-athletes are required to begin recording exercise-specific testosterone levels four weeks before their athletic champion selection." Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, transgender student-athletes will need a "second document at the beginning of the season to record the level and six months after the first." They are also required to record testosterone levels four weeks before the winner selection. Full implementation will begin in the 2023-24 school year. ”
The U.S. Swim Team uses a qualification panel to determine the eligibility of transgender athletes. Elite swimmers will depend on the policies of FINA and the IOC.
The U.S. swimming team issued a statement Thursday night.
"USA Swimming strongly believes in inclusiveness and the opportunity for all athletes to experience swimming in a way that is consistent with their gender identity and expression. We also firmly believe that competition is fair and, like many, are doing our best to learn and educate ourselves at the right balance in this field," the group said.
"In 2018, we established an athlete inclusion process that includes the process by which athletes can change the category of competitions based on their gender identity, as well as criteria for athletes to qualify for or compete at elite level competitions (including those qualifying for time, such as the Junior, National, and U.S. Opens), adhering to previous IOC guidelines. This policy also provides important consideration for individual athletes.
Pennsylvania Quaker Lia Thomas will compete in the freestyle on January 8, 2022 at Sheerr Pool on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in three games against the Yale Bulldogs and Dartmouth Grand Green.
"The selection process for non-elite athletes remains unchanged. Following extensive transgender policy changes in November 2021, the IOC now requires international federations to develop their own sport-specific eligibility requirements, so we have been actively working with FINA for several months to help shape and support their policy development efforts. We believe they will soon release a new policy that we will adopt in elite-level competitions.
"USA Swimming is a member-driven organization managed by a 15-member board that oversees more than 360,000 members – including coaches, volunteers and more than 325,000 athletes from age groups to Olympic teams. These individuals and 2,800 member clubs participate in the NCAA through a network of 59 Local Swimming Councils (LSCs) in four geographic regions of the United States and are now deferred to U.S. swimming for accreditation, and we welcome and look forward to U.S. NCAA athletes and coaches joining our membership to be eligible for our policies and their rules and interests. ”
According to the Washington Post, the IOC updated its transgender engagement policy in November 2021 to no longer focus on testosterone levels to determine eligibility. The IOC urges the governing body of each sport to set the rules while providing help.
"Every athlete has the right to exercise without discrimination in a manner that respects their health, safety and dignity," the updated rules said. "At the same time, the credibility of competitive sports – especially high-level sports – depends on a level playing field, with no athlete having an unfair or disproportionate advantage over others."
Richard Bartt, director of medicine and science at the IOC, said at the time that it was important to consider broader terminology, not just testosterone levels.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 2022, Lia Thomas of the Quakers of Pennsylvania played a freestyle at Sheerr Pool on the University of Pennsylvania campus after competing in three freestyle games against the Yale Bulldogs and Dartmouth Continental
The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes amid calls for reassessment
"It's important that we broaden the evidence base. There are some interesting studies that need to be concluded that this will provide us with more information about performance, which is the real key issue in determining eligibility," Budget said.
Under the new policy announced by the NCAA, Thomas still appears to be eligible for this season's University of Pennsylvania game. The Quakers will meet twice more before the end of the regular season.
The Ivy League Championships are scheduled for February 16-19, and the Eastern University Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships are scheduled for February 24-27.
Both the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League have supported Thomas and vowed to work with the NCAA to get her to compete in tournaments.
Penn Athletics understands the NCAA's new transgender engagement policy. To support our student-athlete Lia Thomas, we will work with the NCAA to get her involved in accordance with the newly adopted 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships standards," Penn Athletics said in a statement obtained by Fox News.
The Ivy League added: "The Ivy League is aware of yesterday's NCAA Board of Governors' decision to update its transgender policy starting with the 2022 NCAA Winter Championships. The Alliance will work with the University of Pennsylvania and its other member institutions to determine the mid-term — annual eligibility implications for any transgender student-athletes who may be affected by this decision, and will provide updates where appropriate. ”