Penn Women Reportedly Considered Boycotting Season’s Final Home Meet On Jan. 8

Several members of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team considered boycotting their final home meet of the season in protest of Lia Thomas‘ ability to compete as a woman, according to a report from The Daily Mail.

According to the report, a group of swimmers on the team wanted to make a statement regarding their opposition to the NCAA transgender policy that allows Thomas, a trans woman, to compete in women’s swimming.

“They’ve been ignored by both Penn and the NCAA, and there is a feeling among some of the girls that they should make some sort of statement, seize the opportunity while they have a spotlight on them to make their feelings about the issue known,” a source told The Daily Mail.

The swimmers ultimately decided against a boycott, fearing it would put their place on the roster for the Ivy League Championships—where 17 of the team’s 41 swimmers will compete—at risk.

“Knowing they do not have backing from the school or NCAA, they’re reluctant to jeopardize their opportunity to make the elite Ivy League squad,” the source said.

This particular group of swimmers also don’t want to cause a rift with some of their teammates that do support Thomas’ participation, according to one of The Daily Mail‘s sources.

Read the full report here.

Penn’s final home meet of the season is scheduled for January 8 against Dartmouth.

The NCAA transgender policy dictates that a trans woman can compete on a women’s team provided they’ve undergone a minimum of one year of testosterone suppression. Thomas has been undergoing treatment for the last two and a half years.

On Tuesday, former USC head coach Dave Salo called the policy “an assault on women’s sports.”

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Swimmer
2 years ago

Cap.

There's no doubt that he's tightening up
2 years ago

Heads up to Swimswam staff — as a current resident of the UK, I would hesitate if the Daily Mail is the only source on an event. It’s known to be unreliable sh*t-stirring click-bait gossip.

I mean just a quick scroll down their front page, there’s the random words in all-caps in headlines and articles about Catherine Zeta-Jones in a bikini…

Rick Paine
2 years ago

Dartmouth and Yale women could send a strong message if they refused to compete in the Jan. 8th meet.

Lol
Reply to  Rick Paine
2 years ago

They are sad, frustrated, confused, distracted and dealing as best they can. No one wants to cancel their season. They’ve weathered a canceled last year and trained for years to get to compete in college. Almost everyone is upset and thinks the situation is wrong and the people in power don’t care – but they are trying to ignore it as best they can because they also have to study, train, deal with Covid and have some semblance of a college experience.
They are just hoping at some point that true leaders will stand up and make changes.
I know many of them personally – this is not just hearsay.

Jimbob
Reply to  Rick Paine
2 years ago

Lia Thomas’s teammate A.K. went from probably Ivy champ in the 500 free to finishing a lap and a half behind.

Thomas’s teammates also have insight into how Thomas is handling the situation.

They get a say.

Hoosier Daddy
2 years ago

They should go through with this protest!! Lia Thomas swimming with the woman is unfair and simply ridiculous. People can speak out all they want, but actions speak louder than words. This must stop!!!

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Hoosier Daddy
2 years ago

you’ve exceeded your exclamation mark quota for 2021.

Stoked 2 b vaccinated
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
2 years ago

And 2022!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DMacNCheez
2 years ago

The Daily Mail is generally sensationalistic rubbish, so honestly this just sounds like a couple swimmers had the idea and “leaked” it to the Daily Mail, who they knew would run it without question. I doubt any penn swimmer seriously considered not swimming

Stoked 2 b vaccinated
2 years ago

The lack of compassion of the Penn swim team (and parents) is astounding… I’d say I’m surprised but it’s pretty inline with the quality of humans from my club team that went on to swim for Penn

swimfan27
Reply to  Stoked 2 b vaccinated
2 years ago

Compassion for who?

Stoked 2 b vaccinated
2 years ago

Solidarity to Lia!

HJones
Reply to  Stoked 2 b vaccinated
2 years ago

For what??

Swimmer A
Reply to  HJones
2 years ago

The several hundred comments against her, the media coverage, her own teammates walking out on her…

Hmm
Reply to  Swimmer A
2 years ago

Choices and actions have consequences.

Swimmer A
Reply to  Hmm
2 years ago

This should not be a consequence of coming out as trans. That’s messed up.

Lol
Reply to  Swimmer A
2 years ago

This isn’t a consequence of coming out as trans. This is a consequence of demanding biological women step aside and give up some of their limited space in sports for a male built body!
Do you have any idea the disparity between mens and women’s athletics? There are more scholarships for men by over 6 million dollars alone in a single collegiate institution. Male bodies obliterate the landscape and finances of sport. One more male body showing women that they are less or worse or undeserving of podiums, records and representation is what is causing this reaction.

Taa
2 years ago

Another day another Lia Thomas article. Actually two today. I bet we avg 4-5 a week between now and March.

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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