Riley Gaines Urges NCAA to Strip Lia Thomas of Titles After Court Ruling

Women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines is calling on the NCAA to strip transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of his titles following his failed attempt to challenge international swimming rules and join the U.S. women’s Olympic team.

On Wednesday, Thomas lost a case against World Aquatics, the global organization that oversees swimming competitions. Thomas had tried to overturn World Aquatics’ strict policy banning athletes who transitioned after puberty from competing in women’s events. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the case, ruling that Thomas didn’t have standing because he isn’t a member of World Aquatics. As a result, the organization’s transgender policy remains in place.

Thomas, who captured several NCAA titles while swimming for the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s team in 2022, was seeking a spot on the U.S. women’s Olympic swim team — but World Aquatics’ rules blocked his participation.

In response to the latest developments, former NCAA champion and prominent advocate for protecting women’s sports, Riley Gaines, called on the NCAA to act.

“Now the @ncaa needs to strip him of every award, title, and record he stole from a deserving female athlete,” Gaines posted on social media.

While World Aquatics and the NCAA operate independently — with World Aquatics having no authority over college athletics — the international organization’s rules carry significant weight across the global swimming community.