University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who has become the face of the transgender women's debate in sports, has been nominated for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award. To this day, the transgender swimmer who changed from Will to Lia Thomas, who still has male genitalia, first handed over women's swimming records to the past, now she can collect accolades from women's sports. Mandiner was the first to make a film about the Lia Thomas phenomenon and initiated a sports diplomacy and sports health debate on the matter, but new twists have come: the transgender male swimmer with genitals can be the WOMAN OF THE YEAR!
According to the NCAA website, the Ivy League swimmer was named the best in Division I in swimming and diving. The purpose of the recognition is to simultaneously reward the contestant's "academic achievements, athletic excellence, community activity, and leadership among graduating university students from all three divisions," according to the website of the American University Sports Association, the NCAA.
As you know, in March of this year, Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title after finishing first in the women's 500-yard freestyle and posting the fastest time of the NCAA season. With this victory, she became the first transgender athlete to win a DI title in any sport.
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas says "trans women are not a threat to women's sports".
However, a significant number of female swimmers have a different opinion, even if they don't dare to voice their opinion, with the exception of the only brave Hungarian Olympian, György Réka, also a graduate of the Virgina Tech team, who gave an exclusive interview to Mandiner and spoke at length about the selection she received insults because of her opinion, and how women in America who dare to speak up in defense of the right of female athletes to fair competition are intimidated.
Meanwhile, Thomas, who previously swam for Penn's men's team, renewed attention for transgender women's participation in sports and the debate about inclusion and fair play at a time when states across the US are passing laws to limit transgender rights.
"There are many factors that affect competition," Thomas said, "but the biggest difference now is that she's happy, adding that she doesn't think trans women are a threat to women's sports."
During the Woman of the Year nominations, 30 candidates are selected, then narrowed down to nine, and the finalists are reviewed by the NCAA Women's Athletics Committee before deciding on the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year recipient. Unfortunately, in the current political climate, Lia Thomas has a solid chance to overtake cis women with the biology of a 185cm man without gender reassignment surgery and win university WOMAN OF THE YEAR honors.
Mandiner was the first to have the courage to debate with Pál Schmitt, the Hungarian sports diplomat of the IOC, and professor Béla Merkely, and to examine the sports diplomacy and sports physiology aspects of the transgender phenomenon infiltrating women's sports.
The topic will also be on the agenda at the upcoming MCC festival, where Sándor Wladár, president of the Hungarian Swimming Association, will be the invited guest.
Featured image: GettyImages
