Women’s Swim Team Work to Protect Their Sport
October 5, 2023 | Virginia
A group of elite women swimmers at a Virginia university are demanding urgent action to protect their sport, after a transgender student joined their team, leaving the coaches and athletes ‘demoralized’, angry, and unsure how to cope.
The trans student informed staff at Roanoke College in September that she wished to swim on the women’s team, after sitting out the previous season while transitioning. The year before, the trans swimmer had competed in the men’s team.
The case bears strong echoes of that of Lia Thomas, who last year became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, and set off a firestorm of controversy.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, the three captains of the swim squad said they felt abandoned by their university, and let down by the NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association.
They described the stress of being told they had to confront the trans swimmer themselves, and make their case – only for the trans swimmer to tell them she felt suicidal and was desperate to be included. (Excerpt from the Daily Mail.)
