Lia Thomas, an American transgender athlete who competed as a man for three years before starting to compete in women’s swimming championships, was nominated by her university for the “Woman of the Year” award. ”, from the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA, responsible for organizing most of the college sports championships in the USA.16140012
The award, according to the NCAA, is intended to recognize “academic achievement, excellence in athletics, community service, and leadership of graduate college athletes.” Award nominations are made by NCAA member universities. From these nominations, honorees will be chosen 30, who will receive the award in January of 2023.
In March of this year, Thomas finished first in the NCAA rankings in swimming, being the first transgender athlete. ner to reach that position. Thomas’ performance is questioned even by other athletes, who believe that Thomas’ size and physical conditions give him advantages over other non-transgender athletes.
To protect competitiveness and ensure fairer competition conditions, sports entities have already approved specific guidelines for the participation of transgender athletes in competitions. Several US states also have laws against transgender athletes in women’s sports.
16140012 Last year, in New Zealand, the University of Otago and its student association (Ousa) elected transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard, from 16140012 years, as the female athlete of 2021 in its annual award in recognition of talents in different areas revealed in the institution.