Right before Thomas’ start, there was a lot of disagreement with the rules. According to FINA, transgender athletes may appear after a three-year course of hormone therapy that lowers the level of testosterone. NCAA – The organization that manages academic sports in United States of America – Like the International Olympic Committee, it only requires 24 months of treatment. However, just before the Academy Tournament, it issued a statement that it would apply the rules of FINA. This sparked protests from the LGBTQ+ organisation, as Thomas did not meet this requirement. She had started lowering testosterone 33 months ago. The NCAA quickly withdrew, and Thomas received permission to start.
Thomas, representing the University of Pennsylvania, won the gold medal in the 500-yard freestyle crown. At the finish line, she overtook the deputy Olympic champion from Tokyo, Emma Wiant, but in the 400-meter competition in alternating style. Thomas scored 4.33.34. It was 1.75 seconds better than the silver medalist, and the winner’s time was nine seconds worse than Katie Ledecky’s record at this distance.
“Being here means a lot to me,” Thomas told former Olympic champion Elizabeth Bissell, who worked with ESPN in the pool.
Leah Thomas was clearly greeted coldly
It was not without controversy. Already during the show, when the performance of each contestant in the final was accompanied by applause and screaming, in the case of Thomas, the fans were silent. Beth Stelzer, who is in the stands, displayed a banner with the name Save Women’s Sports. This feminist establishment opposed the inclusion of transgender Thomas in the competition.
It was similar when the rider stood on the podium. Then the audience greeted her even colder than the competitors of the second and third places.
The photo that the contestants put up after the decoration sparked a lot of controversy. Thomas was left alone on the podium, while silver medalist Wyant, brown-haired Erica Sullivan and fourth Brooke Fordy posed next to each other for the photo. This was unambiguously interpreted as a manifestation of the “real” podium in this competition.
In Poland, the federation followed this initiative by signing a photo on its Twitter page: “The other participants in the competition pose ostentatiously at the award ceremony.”
Transgender girls and women are not included in the list of threats to women’s sport
However, Sullivan denied on Instagram that this was the intention. On the contrary, the vice-champion of the Tokyo 1500 Freestyle Olympics wrote that she supports Thomas and her desire to compete among women. For the photo, Sullivan, Wyant, and Ford wanted to take a picture together because they are friends from the US Olympic team from the Tokyo Olympics. Ford also won silver in Japan – in the 4x200m relay.
Sullivan even published a column in Newsweek in defense of Thomas.
As a player I can say I know what the real threats are to women’s sport: sexual assault, harassment, inequality in pay and opportunities to compete, and a lack of women in leadership positions. Transgender girls and women are nowhere on that list
Thomas supporters and opponents stood on both sides of the street
Protests were also held in front of the student competition venue in Atlanta. About 20 people from Save Women Sports and Young Women gathered there USA. Across the street were students from the Georgia Institute of Technology who were supporting Thomas. “They are bringing hate,” student Nikki Kavezakis told ESPN, referring to the protesters against Thomas.
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Georgia Tech hosted the event at the McAuley Aquatic Center complex.
Concerned Women for America announced that it has filed a complaint against the University of Pennsylvania. In her view, allowing Thomas to compete against women would violate the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution. In short, the Ninth Amendment deals with the equality of women and men.
A letter of protest was written to the NCAA by a Hungarian woman named Rika Gyorgi, who competed in the 2016 Olympics. Now she has not reached the B Finals of the NCAA Tournament, finishing 17th in the qualifying round.
“This was my last start as a student and I’m feeling frustrated. I feel like my last place was robbed by the NCAA decision. I know – you could say I had the chance to swim as soon as I got to the round of 16 – but it’s a little different and I can’t help but get angry And sadness. It hurt me, and so did my band and the other women in the pool,” Giorgi wrote.
“The future of women’s sports is very fragile”
Also speaking about the speech was the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sebastian Coe. The future of women’s sports is fragile. These are sensitive social issues that go beyond sports. “I don’t have the luxury of engaging in endless discussions about schools of moral philosophy,” said the Briton during the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade. – He added that gender could not be more important than biology.
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Coe believes that the current requirements for testosterone levels in transgender women should be extended. Currently, in athletics, a requirement for low testosterone is required 12 months prior to competition.
Thomas also competed in Atlanta at 200 yards and 100 yards. It was fifth in the first distance and eighth in the second.
“Proud creator. Amateur music junkie. Tv scholar. Web fan. Lifelong alcohol lover. Falls down a lot. Hardcore thinker.”
