Michael Phelps called the debate about the University of Pennsylvania’s transgender swimmer Lia Thomas “very complicated” on Thursday, but he noted that sports need an “even playing field.”
The debate surrounding the 22-year-old collegiate swimmer, who has broken national records and decimated female competitors, is similar to doping, said Phelps, a 23-time gold medalist and the most decorated Olympian.
“I think this leads back to the organizing committees again,” Phelps said Thursday. “Because it has to be a level playing field. I think that’s something that we all need because that’s what sports are, and for me, I don’t know where this is going to go. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
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Thomas, who swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s swimming team for three years in NCAA Division I competition, has shattered two U.S. women’s collegiate swimming records and automatically qualified for March’s NCAA championship meet in Atlanta.
Reacting to ongoing debate over trans college athlete Lia Thomas competing on the women’s swimming team, “it’s very complicated,” says @MichaelPhelps. “We all should feel comfortable with who we are in our own skin. But I think sports should be played on an even playing field.” pic.twitter.com/brsq7t2vJW
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) January 13, 2022
The athlete’s success has been the catalyst for a heated debate regarding the fairness of transgender women competing against biological females.
Athletes deserve to be comfortable when competing, Phelps said, but he added that sports demand an “even playing field” to be fair.
“I don’t know what it looks like in the future, but it’s hard. It’s very complicated, and this is my sport — this has been my sport my whole entire career. And honestly, the one thing I would love is everybody being able to compete on an even playing field,” Phelps said.
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Thomas is set to compete at the Ivy League championships in February.
