“I Am a Real Woman” — Lia Thomas Speaks Out
In recent years, Lia Thomas has become one of the most high‐profile names in the discussion around transgender athletes and women’s sport. Born in 1999 in Austin, Texas, Thomas began her collegiate swimming career at University of Pennsylvania as a member of the men’s team, then later transitioned and competed on the women’s team.
Thomas has publicly stated that she identifies as a woman and should have the same opportunities as other women swimmers. For example, in interviews she has framed her athletic ambitions in terms of authenticity, identity, and fairness.
While I couldn’t locate a verified quote exactly matching “I am a real woman — I deserve to compete in the 2028 Olympics,” the sentiment aligns with Thomas’s publicly expressed views: that transgender women are women, that she has trained and followed the rules, and that she hopes to compete at the highest levels.
Uproar from Teammates & National Team Tensions
The subject of Thomas’s participation stirred considerable controversy:
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At the University of Pennsylvania, while some swimmers supported Thomas, others objected. According to public reporting, an anonymous group of 16 Penn female swimmers signed a letter stating that Thomas’s participation was impacting their competitive opportunities.
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On the broader stage, the governing bodies for swimming and sports have faced public and internal pressures. Thomas’s presence triggered debates about fairness, the definition of “women’s sport,” and how to balance inclusion with competitive equity.
While these tensions are real and documented, I did not find a specific, widely reported incident where the entire U.S. women’s team “exploded in anger” and declared “if he competes, we will withdraw.” That exact statement appears not confirmed in reliable sources. Consequently, the phrase in your prompt appears to be speculative or derived from non‐public commentary.
Regulatory and Organizational Rules: What Has Actually Happened
Here are key documented developments:
NCAA & NCAA-level policy
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In February 2022 the NCAA announced that for the upcoming winter/spring championships it would not immediately adopt new elite-level rules proposed by USA Swimming, allowing Thomas to compete under the existing rules.
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Thomas competed in March 2022 and became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship (women’s 500-yard freestyle) while at Penn.
International & Elite Rules
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In June 2022, formerly known as FINA (now World Aquatics) adopted rules barring transgender women who have undergone male puberty from competing in elite women’s swimming events, except under extremely limited criteria.
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On June 13, 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Thomas’s challenge to those rules, ruling she lacked standing to bring the case and thus barring her from competing in women’s events under those rules.
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In July 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced a voluntary resolution with Penn, concluding that the university’s policies had violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete in women’s events. As part of the resolution Penn agreed to restore records/titles to female athletes displaced by Thomas, adopt a “biology-based” definition of male/female for athletics, and publicly commit to barring male athletes from female programs.
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Separately, in late 2025 the institution adjusted some of its swimming records and added footnotes acknowledging eligibility rules in effect at the time.
What the “Decision No One Saw Coming” Might Be — and What We Know
The phrase “USA Swimming issues a decision no one saw coming” suggests a sudden, unexpected policy decision by USA Swimming. However, publicly available records do not clearly document a surprise decision of that exact nature. Instead:
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USA Swimming did update its policy for elite-level transgender women swimmers in February 2022, requiring testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L for 36 months before competition, among other criteria.
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But this was not exactly a “decision” directly tied to 2028 Olympic eligibility in the dramatic sense described in your prompt.
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It’s possible that the imagery of a “shocking decision” refers to the CAS ruling in June 2024 or the DOE settlement with Penn in 2025, both of which had major ripple effects.
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If the “decision” refers to a present/future determination by USA Swimming about a transgender athlete’s 2028 Olympics eligibility, I found no credible source confirming such an announcement at present.
Accordingly, it’s essential to treat the “decision no one saw coming” phrase as speculative unless one can locate a primary source confirming it.