Transgender Lia Thomas will be eligible to compete at conference championships, Ivy League confirms

Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce discusses the fight for fairness in women’s sports

Transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas will be able to compete at the conference championships despite growing controversy surrounding the athlete's eligibility, the Ivy League confirmed.

While it remains unclear whether Thomas will be eligible to compete in the NCAA Championships scheduled for next month, Swimming World reported Tuesday that the swimmer will be eligible to compete at the final Ivy League Championships this month.

Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks to her coach after winning the 500 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

"The recent rule changes do not impact Lia’s eligibility for this month’s Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships as the effective date for this unprecedented midseason NCAA policy change begins with the 2022 NCAA Winter Championships," an Ivy League spokesperson said in an email to the outlet.

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The NCAA updated its transgender participation policy last month, saying it will be determined on a sport-by-sport basis. If there is no national governing body for the sport, then the NCAA sport will follow the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) policy.

Those changes cast doubt on whether Thomas would be eligible for the NCAA Championships, but concluded that the changes would not be applied this season. The USA Swimming released new guidelines emphasizing fairness for cisgender females.

Lia Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers after winning the 500-meter