El acuerdo, firmado el martes, responde a la resolución del Departamento de Educación, que había iniciado una investigación sobre el caso de Thomas, la primera atleta transgénero en ganar un título de la NCAA División I. Como parte del acuerdo, la universidad restaurará los títulos y marcas de las nadadoras cuyas plusmarcas fueron superadas por Thomas durante su etapa en el equipo femenino. Además, la institución enviará cartas de disculpa personalizadas a las deportistas afectadas por la situación.
El caso Lia Thomas y la reacción institucional
Lia Thomas compitió durante una temporada en el equipo femenino de natación de Penn, tras tres años en el equipo masculino. Durante ese periodo, estableció varios récords universitarios en pruebas como los 100, 200, 500, 1.000 y 1.650 libres, y logró el título nacional en los 500 yardas libres en 2022.
Contexto político y repercusiones federales
La decisión de ‘Penn’ llega en un contexto de endurecimiento de las políticas sobre la participación de atletas transgénero en el deporte femenino en Estados Unidos. El presidente Donald Trump ha impulsado medidas para restringir la presencia de deportistas trans en competiciones femeninas, y en mayo anunció sanciones económicas a California por permitir la participación de una atleta trans en un campeonato estatal.
La secretaria de Educación, Linda McMahon, declaró que “gracias al liderazgo del presidente Trump, UPenn ha aceptado disculparse por sus violaciones del Título IX y garantizar la protección del deporte femenino en la universidad para las futuras generaciones de atletas”.
The University of Pennsylvania has reached an agreement with the US Department of Education to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports and to remove the records of former swimmer Lia Thomas. This decision comes after a federal investigation into the institution’s compliance with Title IX and is a clear example of Donald Trump’s US trend, which is gaining ground worldwide, albeit with more sensitivity than the current case.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday, responds to the resolution of the Department of Education, which had launched an investigation into the case of Thomas, the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title. As part of the agreement, the university will restore the titles and records of the swimmers whose records were broken by Thomas during her time on the women’s team. In addition, the institution will send personalized letters of apology to the athletes affected by the situation.
The Lia Thomas case and the institutional reaction
Lia Thomas competed for one season on Penn’s women’s swim team after three years on the men’s team. During that time, she set several university records in events such as the 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle, and won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.
Political context and federal repercussions
Penn’s decision comes amid a tightening of policies on transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports in the United States. President Donald Trump has pushed for measures to restrict the presence of transgender athletes in women’s competitions, and in May he announced economic sanctions against California for allowing a transgender athlete to participate in a state championship.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said, “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, UPenn has agreed to apologize for its Title IX violations and ensure the protection of women’s sports at the university for future generations of athletes.”
University President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement that this is “a complex issue” and expressed his satisfaction at reaching an agreement that ends the federal investigation. Jameson underscored the institution’s commitment to a respectful and inclusive environment, while emphasizing the need to comply with federal requirements and NCAA and Ivy League rules.
