Trans swimmer controversy leads Penn to restore women’s titles
The University of Pennsylvania has announced it will review the records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, apologizing to the athletes "disadvantaged" by her participation in women’s competitions as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, CE Report quotes ANSA.
American media report that Thomas last competed for the University of Pennsylvania in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.
With Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his executive order banning trans athletes from women’s sports, the Department launched an investigation into the Ivy League college. As a result, Penn committed to restoring all Division I swimming records and individual titles to the athletes who lost to Thomas.
"Although Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 season complied with NCAA rules in place at the time, we recognize that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by those rules," said Penn’s president, J. Larry Jameson, in a statement.
As part of the agreement, the university also stated it will not allow men to compete in women’s competitions and will adopt “male” and “female” definitions based on biology.
