Swimming Body Moves to Halt Fake Comments Attributed to Star Swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan
The national swimming federation has moved to suppress labeled as “fabricated stories” and “made-up statements” associated with swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan concerning trans swimmer Lia Thomas.
Social Media Posts Circulate False Statements
A statement attributed to O’Callaghan but not shared from her online platforms has surfaced in updates on the social media site Facebook, as well as on Twitter, and claimed the swimming star would boycott in the 2028 LA Games if a transgender athlete is cleared to race.
The statement incorrectly linked to O’Callaghan featured a inflammatory remark that “sharing a pool with Lia Thomas is truly an affront and a shame”.
Formal Response from Swimming Australia
The national body supported the Olympic champion in a announcement labeled with “fabricated comments associated with Australian team member Mollie O’Callaghan”.
“Currently, we see false statements linked to team member Mollie O’Callaghan seen on online content,” Swimming Australia said this past Sunday.
“Never has O’Callaghan given an interview and provided commentary on this issue.
“The platform has been notified of the fake news, and O’Callaghan and Swimming Australia have asked the posts to be removed.”
Latest Developments and Context
Content that feature the statement attributed to O’Callaghan were still visible on the platform on Monday, while a Meta spokesperson commented that “we are reviewing the demand”.
The organization declined to make further comment.
American transgender athlete Lia Thomas is prohibited from racing in the female category under present international swimming rules and could not change the policies in the lead up to the Paris Olympics.
World Aquatics introduced guidelines in recent years which forbid anyone who has undergone “any phase of puberty as a male” from the women’s competition.
Regarding Mollie O’Callaghan
O’Callaghan is a five-fold gold medal winner after outpacing fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus in the 200m freestyle final at the Paris event along with participating in four winning relays.
The young champion added a 200m freestyle world championship crown to her accolades in Japan in recent months.
O’Callaghan was competing in a World Cup event in Indiana recently and beat the field by nearly two seconds to take out the 200-meter event in a record time of 1:50.77.
