FACT CHECK: Was Lia Thomas Told To Try Out For Men’s Olympic Team?
A post shared on social media purports the U.S. Olympic Committee said that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas can try out for the men’s team.
Verdict: False
The claim stems from a satirical website.
Fact Check:
U.S. lawmakers have requested that the Department of Justice and the International Olympic Committee investigate the Chinese use of performance enhancing drugs after several of their swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, CNN reported. The World Anti-Doping Agency was accused of mishandling the case, but during a press conference, the agency assured they “followed all due processes.”
A post shared on Facebook alleges that the U.S. Olympics Committee told Thomas to try out for the men’s team. The post includes an image of Thomas before and after transitioning.
“US Olympics Comittee (sic) says Lia Thomas is welcome to try out for the men’s team,” text on the image reads.
The caption says, “Thomas won’t be swimming for the US Women’s team anytime soon.”
The claim is inaccurate. The claim stems from a website called SpaceXArena. The article claims that Thomas petitioned the U.S. Women’s National Team to be allowed to try out for the team. The article goes on to say that the U.S. Olympic Committee said Thomas was only allowed to try out for the men’s team.
The website self-identifies as satire. Their disclaimer reads, “We are not a reliable source of information, but rather a platform for fun and comedy. We do not intend to offend or harm anyone with our content, but rather to make them smile and think. We hope you enjoy our website as much as we enjoy creating it.”(RELATED: Did Harrison Butker Follow Up Commencement With This Comment?)
This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim Democrats are trying to make the American flag “more inclusive.”