NEW YORK - The University of Pennsylvania has removed records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and was set to ban other transgender athletes from competing as part of a resolution of a United States (US) civil rights case, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The University of Pennsylvania, an elite Ivy League school, and the US Department of Education announced the agreement on Tuesday.
The case focused on Thomas, who in 2022 became the first transgender swimmer to win a major US national college title. Thomas also set records in three women's freestyle races during the 2021-22 season.
The University of Pennsylvania as of Tuesday had removed Thomas's times from its website, noting: "Competing under eligibility rules in effect at the time, Lia Thomas set programme records in the 100, 200, and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season."
Eligibility requirements for student-athletes in the US are overseen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Ivy League record books still showed Thomas as record holder in the 200 yard and 500 yard events, as of Tuesday.
"While Penn's policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules," the university said in a statement announcing the agreement.
"We recognise this and will apologise to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time."
Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that Penn "agreed to change its athletics policy to ensure that no female athlete will ever compete against, or suffer the indignity of being forced to share an intimate facility with, a biological male."
The agreement follows an investigation by the department concluded in April which found that the university had violated Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programmes that receive government financial assistance. - BERNAMA-dpa