Controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas will not participate in the upcoming Paris Olympics after losing a legal battle in which she contended that the rules barring Thomas’ participation were “invalid and unlawful.”

Thomas, 25, who supposedly “transitioned” to being a female despite still being a biological male, competed for three years as a male on the University of Pennsylvania swim team. dominated the field of biological women to become the first openly trans person to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022.

Thomas’ success sparked a heated national debate about the fairness of biologically male athletes who change their gender competing in female sports leagues.

🔥🚨 BREAKING: Lia Thomas has been officially BANNED from competing on the women’s Olympic swim team, as well as every other elite competition.

This is a huge win for women and girls everywhere across our nation.

Now the @NCAA MUST revoke all of the wins, awards and records… pic.twitter.com/q0liDN4p2W

— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) June 12, 2024

Thomas filed a lawsuit against World Aquatics (WA), the global governing body for water sports, including swimming, seeking to overturn their 2022 policy that prohibits athletes who have been through “any part of male puberty” from competing in the female category, The Guardian reported.

The case was adjudicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a Swiss-based international body for resolving disputes in high-level athletics, which stated in its 24-page decision that Thomas was “simply not entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions.”

In a statement, World Aquatics lauded the ruling as “a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.”

The governing body added that it is “dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for athletes of all genders and we reaffirm this pledge.”

World Aquatics’ policy was implemented after Thomas easily defeated Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds to claim the NCAA title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event.

In a subsequent effort to include as many athletes as possible, World Aquatics introduced a new “open” category inclusive of transgender swimmers, which was intended to debut at an event in Berlin last October, The Guardian noted.

However, the category was canceled after no participants signed up to enter the field.