Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas Had No Chance at Olympics, Donna De Varona Says

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas had no probability to win a authorized problem that will have opened the door for a possible Olympics bid — and she or he ought to as a substitute compete in opposition to different trans swimmers … so says a former Crew USA gold medalist.

Decorated swimmer Donna De Varona, who received two golds on the 1964 Summer time Olympics, joined us on “TMZ Live” Thursday, and we requested her about Lia’s failed bid to overturn guidelines stopping transgender ladies from competing in opposition to organic ladies on the Olympics.

Donna says Lia was by no means going to get the ban overturned as a result of she did not get a U.S. Aquatics membership card, which DDV says prevented Lia’s problem from having any standing from the get-go.

Lia — the primary transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship — needed to overturn a brand new gender coverage from swimming’s governing physique, which excludes trans ladies who absolutely underwent male puberty from competing in opposition to organic ladies. Lia didn’t transition till faculty, so she was excluded underneath the brand new coverage.

Donna says World Aquatics is attempting to accommodate swimmers who do not establish with their start intercourse — Lia included — however provides not a single swimmer signed as much as compete in a brand new class particularly for transgender swimmers … which is fascinating.

As a substitute, Donna says trans athletes like Lia solely desires to compete in opposition to organic ladies … which she straight-up says is not truthful.

Donna’s been a frontrunner in ladies’s athletics for many years, and she or he says she’s been monitoring the variety of podium spots throughout all sports activities the place transgender athletes are taking spots from organic ladies. The quantity is astounding … Donna says there are at the least 1,000 cases.