WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan and the Australian Sports Commission say they will boycott the 2028 Olympics if US transgender swimmer Lia Thomas participates.
OUR VERDICT
False. The quotes are fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - Australian Olympian Mollie O'Callaghan has not said she will boycott the 2028 Olympics if US transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competes, despite claims on social media.
The quotes in the posts are fake. They don't match any of the five-time gold medallist's public remarks, and Swimming Australia and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) have said the quotes have been fabricated.
A Facebook post from a page called 'Swimming Life' quotes the reigning 200m freestyle champion saying she will not participate if Thomas does.
The same claim has been shared by other pages too, attracting several million more views.
"I will not participate in the 2028 Olympics if that MAN, Lia Thomas, is allowed to compete," the posts quote the Australian swimmer as saying. "Let him swim in the men's category. He shouldn't be here; sharing a pool with Lia Thomas is truly an insult and a disgrace."
A similar post from a page called 'Swim Hub' claims that the ASC has supported O'Callaghan's statement about Thomas and that Australia may boycott the Olympics.
"The Australian Sports Commission has officially voiced its support for Mollie O'Callaghan, warning that Australia may boycott the 2028 Olympics if Lia Thomas is allowed to compete, sending shockwaves through the global sports community," the post claims.
There is no evidence O'Callaghan has made any such statements about Thomas, and under current rules, the American is unable to compete at the 2028 Olympics.
Swimming Australia said in a statement that the quotes in the posts have been "fabricated".
"At no stage has O'Callaghan been interviewed and provided commentary on transgender athletes," a Swimming Australia spokesperson said in a statement.
The ASC said the claim about a potential Australian boycott of the 2028 Olympics is false.
"The Australian Sports Commission confirms it has never made any such statement," an ASC spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
Thomas is a trans athlete who competed for the University of Pennsylvania's men's team prior to transitioning in 2019.
She went on to compete for the women's team, which led to widespread media coverage in the US and globally.
Thomas and other trans athletes were barred from competing in elite women's swimming events following a decision by the sport's governing body, World Aquatics, in 2022.
Thomas lost a legal challenge against that decision in 2024, preventing her from competing in the qualifiers for the Paris Olympics, the ABC reported.
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