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The national swimming federation has taken steps to suppress what it calls “fake news” and “made-up statements” attributed to swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan about transgender athlete Lia Thomas.

Social Media Content Circulate Inaccurate Statements

Remarks attributed to O’Callaghan but not posted from her online platforms has been seen in content on Facebook, as well as on the platform X, and suggested the elite athlete would boycott in the Los Angeles Olympics if a transgender swimmer is cleared to race.

These words wrongly credited to O’Callaghan featured a provocative comment that “being in the same lane with Lia Thomas is really an insult and a disgrace”.

Official Statement from Swimming Australia

The organization supported the Olympic champion in a statement labeled with “fake quotes attributed to Dolphin Mollie O’Callaghan”.

“At present, there are false statements attributed to team member Mollie O’Callaghan seen on online content,” the organization stated this past Sunday.

“At no stage has O’Callaghan been interviewed and provided commentary on transgender athletes.

“The platform has been informed of the fake news, and O’Callaghan and Swimming Australia have demanded the content to be removed.”

Latest Developments and Background

Posts that include the comment credited to O’Callaghan were still online on Facebook on Monday, while a Meta spokesperson stated that “we are investigating the appeal”.

The federation declined to make additional statements.

American transgender athlete Lia Thomas is banned from competing in the women’s events under current international swimming regulations and could not change the regulations in the lead up to the recent Games.

World Aquatics enacted rules in 2022 which ban anyone who has undergone “any stage of male puberty” from the women’s competition.

About Mollie O’Callaghan

O’Callaghan is a five-fold champion after beating fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus in the 200-meter freestyle final at the 2024 Paris Games along with participating in four winning relays.

The young champion secured a 200-meter freestyle world championship crown to her accolades in Japan in July this year.

O’Callaghan was racing in a international event in the United States over the weekend and beat the competitors by nearly two seconds to take out the women’s 200m freestyle in a Commonwealth record of a record time.