{"id":1390780,"date":"2022-03-20T15:56:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-20T19:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1390780"},"modified":"2022-03-20T17:30:02","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T21:30:02","slug":"virginia-tech-swimmer-blasts-ncaa-for-allowing-lia-thomas-to-take-sport-from-biological-females","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-tech-swimmer-blasts-ncaa-for-allowing-lia-thomas-to-take-sport-from-biological-females\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Tech Swimmer Blasts NCAA for Allowing Lia Thomas to Take Sport from Biological Females"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-tech-swimmer-blasts-ncaa-for-allowing-lia-thomas-to-take-sport-from-biological-females%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1390780&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy recently published an open letter accusing the NCAA of being \u201cdisrespectful against the biologically female swimmers\u201d for allowing transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas to compete as a woman in college sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m writing this letter right now in hopes that the NCAA will open their eyes and change these rules in the future. It doesn\u2019t promote our sport in a good way and I think it is disrespectful against the biologically female swimmers who are competing in the NCAA,\u201d Gyorgy wrote in her letter initially posted to her private <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gyorgy.reka96\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a> account.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WOW: Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy says her finals spot was stolen from her by Lia Thomas because of &#8220;the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NCAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NCAA<\/a>&#8216;s decision to let someone who is not a biological female to compete.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vrtEfqZ0LW\">pic.twitter.com\/vrtEfqZ0LW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaryMargOlohan\/status\/1505608396564832268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 20, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Gyorgy\u2019s letter is significant because she is one of the few swimmers currently in college sports to put her name to criticism of the NCAA\u2019s decision to allow the biologically male Lia Thomas to compete as a woman. Dozens of others have spoken out, but all did so anonymously for fear of radical leftists destroying their college athletic careers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would like to address this past week\u2019s events and express my thoughts. First, I would like to remind everyone that I am a human being and that as a human being I experience feelings and emotions,\u201d Gyorgy began her letter.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMy name is Reka Gyorgy from Hungary. I am a 2016 Rio Olympian, represented Virginia Tech for the past 5 years, a 2-time ACC champion, 2 time All-American and 3-time honorable mention All-America,\u201d the swimmer continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith all due respect, I would like to address something that is a problem in our sport right now and hurting athletes, especially swimmers,\u201d Gyorgy wrote. \u201cEveryone has heard and known about transgender [swimmer], Lia Thomas, and her case including all the issues and concerns that her situation brought into our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gyorgy then noted that she respects and \u201cfully stands\u201d with Lia Thomas. Gyorgy said that Thomas is just like any other swimmer who has trained and sacrificed for swimming. But she then added, \u201cOn the other hand, I would like to critique the NCAA rules that allow [Thomas] to compete against us, who are biologically women.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m writing this letter right now in hopes that the NCAA will open their eyes and change these rules in the future. It doesn\u2019t promote our sport in a good way, and I think it is disrespectful against the biologically female swimmers who are competing in the NCAA,\u201d the student-athlete wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Gyorgy said that she swam the 500 freestyle at the NCAA championship on Thursday and placed 17th \u2014 meaning she missed the cut by one spot while Thomas did not.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.gettyimages.com\/photos\/university-of-pennsylvania-swimmer-lia-thomas-walks-after-receiving-picture-id1238602666?k=20&#038;m=1238602666&#038;s=612x612&#038;w=0&#038;h=nKbZZtoPtQcTDziEb3CtjVSDOrRdGgLizRJUFDU9t18=\" alt=\"University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas walks after receiving her medal for winning the 200 yard freestyle during the 2022 Ivy League Women&#039;s...\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas. (Kathryn Riley\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a 5th year senior, I have been top 16 and top 8 before and I know how much of a privilege it is to make finals at a meet this big,\u201d Gyorgy said. \u201cThis is my last college meet ever and I feel frustrated. It feels like that final spot was taken away from me because of the NCAA\u2019s decision to let someone who is not a biological female compete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know you could say I had the opportunity to swim faster and make the top 16, but this situation makes it a bit different and I can\u2019t help but be angry or sad,\u201d Gyorgy explained. \u201cIt hurts me, my ear and other women in the pool. One spot was taken away from the girl who got 9th in the 500 free and didn\u2019t make it back to the A final preventing her from being an All-American. Every event that transgender athletes competed in was one spot taken away from biological females throughout the meet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Virginia Tech swimmer noted that the \u201cNCAA knew what was coming this past week. They knew opinions and minds will be divided and chose to do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis week has been more about reporters, media and division in our sport than things like two women going under 21 seconds in the 50 freestyle, 3 women going under 50 seconds in the 100 butterfly and the first woman IN HISTORY to go under 48 seconds in the 100 backstroke,\u201d Gyorgy wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Gyorgy also said that this isn\u2019t Lia Thomas\u2019 fault but is \u201cthe result of the NCAA and their lack of interest in protecting their athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI ask that the NCAA takes time to think about all the other biological women in swimming, try to think how they would feel if they would be in our shoes,\u201d she concluded. \u201cMake the right changes for our sport and for a better future in swimming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Warner.Todd.Huston\">facebook.com\/Warner.Todd.Huston<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy recently published an open letter accusing the NCAA of being \u201cdisrespectful against the biologically female swimmers\u201d for allowing transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas to compete<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1390780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1390780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1390780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1390780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1390780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}