The University of Pennsylvania announced on the 2nd (Korean time) that it would delete the records of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. It also noted that Thomas would apologize to the female athletes who were disadvantaged while competing in women's swimming.
According to the Associated Press, the university's action is in accordance with the 'biological sex-based sports separation policy' promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration pushed to limit the participation of transgender athletes who transitioned from male to female in women's events.
Thomas competed in boys' events during high school and ranked highly in Texas before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017.
He began hormone therapy in 2019 and changed his gender to female, meeting the standards of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and competing in women's swimming starting from the 2021-2022 season.
Thomas won several titles in the NCAA Division I freestyle in 2022 with overwhelming performance. Notably, in the NCAA Division I Championship 500-yard freestyle, he became the first transgender athlete to win, causing controversy.
At the time, multiple athletes and coaches argued that the influence of male hormones had not completely disappeared and that Thomas's victory should not be recognized. In response, Thomas defended, saying, 'I didn't transition to win in sports; I did it to find happiness.'
Subsequently, World Aquatics tightened regulations, allowing only athletes who were female at birth to compete in women's events, thus preventing transgender athletes from participating in competitions.
Thomas claimed that the International Swimming Federation's gender policy was incorrect, filing a suit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the CAS dismissed the case.
The University of Pennsylvania announced that it would restore the records of the female athletes who lost titles to Thomas in the NCAA Division I and send them apology letters.
Earlier, the University of Pennsylvania deleted Thomas's winning records from its website.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said it is 'a victory for women and girls,' welcoming the action of the University of Pennsylvania to rectify the harm done to past female athletes.
In March, the Trump administration cut federal funding of $175 million (approximately 237.6 billion won) to the University of Pennsylvania for allowing Thomas to compete.