Lia Thomas may be a national champion, but in the world of women’s sports, there must be an “asterisk” by the transgender swimmer’s name, according to tennis legend Martina Navratilova.
Navratilova, 65, made the comment the day Thomas took first in the women’s 500-yard NCAA championship, according to a report.
The tennis icon implied Thomas’s win represents an unfair and unbalanced environment fostered by the NCAA.
Lia Thomas may have won in the pool, but on land there’s plenty of outrage that the transgender swimmer is allowed to compete against women.
Among those speaking out: Tennis icon @Martina
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“It’s not about excluding transgender women from winning ever,” Navratilova said. “But it is about not allowing them to win when they were not anywhere near winning as men.”
“But right now, the rules are what they are,” she added. “Maybe put an asterisk there, if she starts breaking records left and right.”
Navratilova, a 59-time Grand Slam champion, said to create a level playing field, the NCAA could establish two categories, the report noted.
One could be a category for biological females to compete against biological females.
The second would be “an open category” for anybody wishing to compete.
The success of the transgender student-athlete, who swam for UPenn’s men’s swimming team for three years in NCAA Division I competition, has been widely criticized by the media and swimming commentators.
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Along with the 500-yard win, Thomas is slated to race in the 200-yard and 100-yard NCAA championships, according to the report.
