A claim shared on social media purports trans athlete Lia Thomas has chosen to swim in the men’s league after facing criticism.

Verdict: False

The claim is inaccurate. The claim stems from a satirical website.

Fact Check:

Swimmer and activist Riley Gaines spoke out against trans athlete Liz Kocab who just won a world fencing championship for the eighth time,  Daily Mail reported. Gaines lambasted Kocab saying this made her a “cheat.”

The Facebook post shared an image of Thomas a cross from a photo of male swimmers. The caption reads, “Lia Thomas to Swim With A Men’s Team After Extreme Criticism.”

This caption is inaccurate. There is no credible news report that suggests this claim is accurate. Check Your Fact has traced this claim back to an article posted on the satirical website SpaceXmania The article claims, “Lia Thomas Dives into the Men’s Team Amidst Ongoing Debates on Gender and Fairness in Sports.” The article is labeled satire at the top left corner of the piece.

SpaceXmania self identifies as parody. They share a disclaimer on their website that reads, “Please note that the articles under the category “SATIRE” are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously. These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up.” (RELATED: Does Image Of Large Crowd Show Recent Protest In Israel?)

This is not the first piece of misinformation surrounding trans athletes that has been shared online Check Your Fact debunked a claim that Venus Williams refused to compete against a trans tennis player.