Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete at Ivy League Championships despite rule change

Lia Thomas will compete at the Ivy League Championships this month, despite an update to USA Swimming’s policy on transgender athletes.

Thomas’s ability to compete in NCAA events for the University of Pennsylvania was placed under threat after USA Swimming announced its policy change.

To compete, elite athletes will have to provide evidence that their prior physical development as a male does not give them a competitive advantage over their cisgender female competitors.

Athletes will also have to provide evidence that the concentration of testosterone in the athlete’s serum has been less than 5 nmol/L continuously for a period of at least 36 months.

Thomas will have to fall into line with these regulations after the NCAA announced a number of changes to its regulations on transgender athletes, declaring it would now follow the rules of national and international governing bodies.

It has been reported that Thomas started to transition in May 2019, meaning she currently falls under the USA Swimming’s testosterone level threshold by around four months. As such, her participation at future NCAA events has been thrown into doubt.

The 22-year-old will definitely be able to compete at the Ivy League Championships, however. The event is scheduled for February 16th to 19th at Harvard University.

An Ivy League spokesperson confirmed to Swimming World that Thomas would be able to participate.

“The recent rule changes do not impact Lia’s eligibility for this month’s Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, as the effective date for this unprecedented midseason NCAA policy change begins with the 2022 NCAA Winter Championships.”

Thomas’s participation at the NCAA Championships in March is still in doubt, but there are