Australian Swimming Federation Acts to Suppress False Comments Attributed to Champion Swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan
The national swimming federation has acted to stop described as “fake news” and “made-up statements” associated with swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan concerning trans swimmer Lia Thomas.
Social Media Content Circulate False Claims
A statement linked to O’Callaghan but not shared from her social media accounts has appeared in content on Meta platform Facebook, as well as on Twitter, and claimed the swimming star would refuse to compete in the 2028 Olympics if a transgender athlete is allowed to compete.
The statement wrongly credited to O’Callaghan contained a provocative comment that “sharing a pool with Lia Thomas is absolutely an affront and a disgrace”.
Formal Response from the Federation
Swimming Australia stood by the gold medalist in a statement titled with “fabricated comments linked to Dolphin Mollie O’Callaghan”.
“Currently, we see fabricated quotes credited to team member Mollie O’Callaghan seen on online content,” Swimming Australia stated this past Sunday.
“At no stage has O’Callaghan given an interview and made statements on trans swimmers.
“Meta has been informed of the fabricated stories, and O’Callaghan and the federation have asked the posts to be removed.”
Latest Developments and Context
Updates that contain the comment linked to O’Callaghan were still online on Facebook on Monday, while a Meta spokesperson commented that “we are investigating the request”.
Swimming Australia did not offer further comment.
United States trans swimmer Lia Thomas is banned from racing in the female category under current governing body regulations and was unable to challenge the policies in the lead up to the recent Games.
The governing body enacted rules in recent years which prohibit anyone who has gone through “any phase of male development” from the women’s division.
About Mollie O’Callaghan
O’Callaghan is a five-time champion after outpacing compatriot Ariarne Titmus in the 200m freestyle final at the recent Olympics along with participating in four winning relays.
The young champion earned a freestyle global championship to her accolades in Japan in recent months.
O’Callaghan was racing in a short course event in the United States last weekend and outpaced the competitors by a significant margin to take out the freestyle race in a new best of 1:50.77.
