Penn will work with NCAA to support transgender athlete Lia Thomas' participation at swimming and diving championships

1:27 PM

Penn athletics said in a statement on Thursday that it would work with the NCAA in support of swimmer Lia Thomas regarding her participation at the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Atlanta in March.

Some of the nation's best times in the women's freestyle events have been posted by Thomas. She qualified for the NCAA swimming and diving championships in three individual events.

The NCAA has a new policy regarding the participation of trans people. Lia Thomas will be supported by our student-athletes and we will work with the NCAA regarding her participation in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship in 2022.

Each sport's national governing body will determine eligibility requirements for trans athletes under a new policy released by the NCAA. The previous policy that required a uniform hormone therapy requirement across all sports went into effect in 2010.

The USA Swimming policy uses a review panel to make individual determinations on eligibility. The IOC's policy which defers to individual policies of international federations has caused a change in the regulations of elite athletes. Under USA Swimming's current policy, it is not known which athletes are considered to be elite.

They are going to compete at Harvard on Saturday. The show is on the cable network, ESPN+).