"People are fed up with the nonsense"- Former NCAA swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler discusses NAIA decision on transgender athletes

NCAA has been at the crux of the growing debates and concerns around the participation of transgender athletes, with multiple athletes voicing their opinions. Recently, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) took a big step regarding the same by announcing a new transgender policy, a move praised by the former Kentucky swimmer, Kaitlynn Wheeler.

The NAIA's new policy prohibits transgender women from competing in all the women's sports meets sponsored by the NAIA. Speaking to Fox News, Kaitlynn Wheeler voiced her support for the NAIA and its new policy and said,

"The NAIA took the bold first move here, and that's what real leadership looks like."

Talking about NAIA's decision, the former Kentucky swimmer added that the NCAA will also be forced to take a decision sooner or later.

"As much as the NCAA would like to turn their heads on this issue, because that's what they've done thus far, they're going to be forced to face this, and they will be forced to uphold Title IX, because really, people are fed up with the nonsense."

This new policy by NAIA highlights that only athletes who are biologically female and have not started hormone therapy can compete against women in their events.

Kaitlynn Wheeler, who is also an ambassador for the Riley Gaines Centre, has criticized the NCAA in the past owing to her experiences with racing against Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer.

Kaitlynn Wheeler's history with the NCAA

Following the latest policy by the NAIA, Wheeler remarked that this decision creates an urgency for the NCAA to take a step on this concern as soon as possible.

"They did their research. They made the right call. Unlike the NCAA who has previously admitted that they haven't done enough research on the subject, which frankly, I don't think opening a biology textbook is really that hard."

Kaitlynn Wheeler had earlier opened up about her experience of swimming against Lia Thomas, claiming that the involvement of trans women in women's sports creates discrimination and problems in opportunities against biological women.

Wheeler, along with Riley Gaines, was one of the 16 NCAA athletes who sued the NCAA, accusing them of allegedly violating Title IX rights by allowing the participation of trans women in women's competitions.

Earlier, Kaitlynn had also expressed her views on the third category created at the Berlin Swimming World Cup, which did not receive any registrations. She said,

"A third category just isn't going to work. It's going to plummet, as we've seen here at the World Cup. We need to stick with what we know and that is truth, common sense, and just biology. It isn't rocket science."