Australian Swimming Federation Moves to Suppress Fake Quotes Attributed to Star Athlete Mollie O’Callaghan
Swimming Australia has taken steps to shut down described as “fabricated stories” and “made-up statements” linked to swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan about trans swimmer Lia Thomas.
Online Content Spread False Claims
A statement credited to O’Callaghan but not shared from her official profiles has appeared in updates on the social media site Facebook, as well as on Twitter, and claimed the elite athlete would not participate in the Los Angeles Olympics if a transgender swimmer is allowed to race.
The statement wrongly credited to O’Callaghan contained a controversial statement that “sharing a pool with Lia Thomas is truly an insult and a embarrassment”.
Formal Statement from Swimming Australia
The national body supported the Olympic champion in a announcement titled with “fake quotes associated with Australian team member Mollie O’Callaghan”.
“There are currently false statements credited to Dolphin Mollie O’Callaghan circulating on online content,” the organization announced on Sunday.
“At no stage has O’Callaghan given an interview and made statements on transgender athletes.
“The platform has been advised of the false information, and O’Callaghan and Swimming Australia have demanded the items to be taken down.”
Latest Developments and Context
Posts that feature the quote linked to O’Callaghan were still online on Facebook on Monday, while a company representative said that “we are reviewing the demand”.
Swimming Australia refused to give further comment.
American transgender athlete Lia Thomas is barred from competing in the women’s events under existing governing body regulations and could not change the policies in the lead up to the Paris Olympics.
The governing body put in place regulations in 2022 which forbid anyone who has experienced “any stage of male development” from the female category.
About Mollie O’Callaghan
O’Callaghan is a five-fold Olympic gold medallist after outpacing fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus in the 200-meter freestyle championship race at the 2024 Paris Games along with being part of several team victories.
O’Callaghan earned a 200m freestyle world title to her accolades in Tokyo in the summer.
O’Callaghan was racing in a World Cup competition in the United States recently and outpaced the opponents by a significant margin to claim the women’s 200m freestyle in a Commonwealth record of 1:50.77.
