Seth Udinski, FISM News
Penn University swimmer Lia Thomas has been at the center of sports news circles, competing for the Penn women’s swim team as a biological male. Many have hailed the collegiate athlete as a national hero, while others have argued that Thomas’ participation in women’s sports destroys a level playing field. On Tuesday, several teammates spoke in support of Thomas in an anonymous statement.
The number of players, as well the specific players themselves, is unknown. The players said,
We want to express our full support for Lia in her transition. We value her as a person, teammate, and friend. The sentiments put forward by an anonymous member of our team are not representative of the feelings, values, and opinions of the entire Penn team, composed of 39 women with diverse backgrounds. We recognize this is a matter of great controversy and are doing our best to navigate it while still focusing on doing our best in the pool and classroom.
Some believe this could be a response to a report from several weeks ago of an anonymous teammate of Thomas’ who spoke out against the swimmer in an interview, revealing that Thomas was making self-comparisons to MLB great Jackie Robinson.
Thomas has been dominating the competition, thus remaining at the center of controversy in setting new women’s swimming records as a biological male.
The swimmer will compete in the NCAA Championship, which will begin on March 16, as well as the Ivy League Championship in February.