Swimmer’s shock at changing next to her trans rival
Race organisers failed to forewarn her
A FORMER US college swimmer has revealed her ‘extreme discomfort’ at having to change next to a transgender athlete.
Riley Gaines said she was kept in the dark by race organisers about Lia Thomas using the same facilities as female athletes.
The former University of Kentucky swimmer said there was a ‘huge lack of accountability’ at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over protecting women’s sports.
Miss Gaines has been outspoken in her opposition to Miss Thomas’s inclusion in women’s races since competing against her in the 200m freestyle NCAA championships in March, when they tied in fifth place.
Pictures of University of Pennsylvania swimmer Miss Thomas towering over female athletes at the competition sparked a global debate about trans participation in sporting events.
Last month Fina, the world governing body for swimming, banned competitors who have been through male puberty from taking part in women’s races internationally.
USA Swimming, meanwhile, has a policy of assessing testosterone levels and the impact of male puberty before allowing participation. Miss Gaines made her latest comments on Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Today show.
‘That’s not something we were forewarned about, which I don’t think is right, changing in a locker room with someone who has different parts,’ she said. Miss Gaines added that she was ‘forced to race against a male’.
The NCAA defers to the national or world governing bodies on trans inclusion, but it has not reacted to Fina’s new stance, which has also set up an ‘open category’ for transgender athletes.
‘I don’t think it’s right’