A group of Republicans in Congress is introducing a federal resolution to recognize University of Virginia swimmer Emma Weyant as the rightful winner of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle swimming championship.
The resolution, authored by Colorado Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, and co-sponsored by 21 House Republicans, seeks to recognize Weyant as the rightful winner of the championship after Weyant placed second behind biologically male swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed as a transgender female.
The resolution recognizes Weyant as a “world-class student-athlete,” and touts her accomplishments, including her silver medal finish in the women’s 400-meter individual medley at the 2020-21 Summer Olympics in Tokyo; her relay team finishing second in the 800-yard freestyle relay; her contribution to the Virginia Cavaliers swimming team winning the NCAA Division I swimming championship overall; and her four-time All-American titles in high school, among other accolades. It describes Weyant as “a role model for girls across the country.”
The resolution goes on to note that Weyant “logged the fastest time by a woman at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship in the Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle,” and says that her “first-place medal was stolen from
her by a man competing in women’s swimming.” It then resolves that the House of Representatives “recognizes and honors Emma Weyant as the rightful winner of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle.”
“Emma Weyant was the fastest woman competing in the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle, but her first-place win was stolen by a mediocre man who couldn’t cut it in men’s swimming,” Boebert said in a press release accompanying the resolution. “Emma is a world-class student-athlete whose strong performances in the Summer Olympics and 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship speak for themselves. These victories, coupled with her leadership of other women on her team and her dedication to excellence are worthy of Congressional recognition. I will keep working to save women’s sports from woke ideology threatening to strip women of a level playing field.”
Several of the resolution’s co-sponsors also offered statements expressing support for Weyant and for the integrity of women’s sports:
- Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler: “Emma Weyant worked her whole life to compete in the NCAA women’s swimming championships — only to be beaten by a biological male. This is a travesty for women’s sports and sets a horrific precedent for our future generations of female athletes.”
- Illinois Rep. Mary Miller: “No girl should be robbed of athletic opportunities by being forced to compete with biological males in school sports. These overreaching policies don’t empower women, they threaten our daughters’ safety, education, and opportunities.”
- Texas Rep. Chip Roy: “Emma won. Everyone gets that. So Congress should say it.”
- Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale: “The Left’s refusal to address male participation in female sports is lunacy. Female athletes are robbed of life-changing opportunities when their hard work and dedication are derailed by men ‘identifying’ as women. It is time our society stops ignoring basic biology and returns to empowering women athletes, rightfully acknowledging their prowess and accomplishments.”
The Republican resolution comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a similar proclamation recognizing Weyant, a native of Sarasota, as the rightful champion of the NCAA Women’s Freestyle Final. “By allowing men to compete in women’s sports, the NCAA is destroying opportunities for women, making a mockery of its championships, and perpetuating a fraud,” DeSantis said in a tweet. “In Florida, we reject these lies and recognize Sarasota’s Emma Weyant as the best women’s swimmer in the 500y freestyle.”