Swimming Australia has been forced to step in to rebut false social media posts that wrongly claimed Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan made inflammatory remarks about transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
The fabricated posts suggest O'Callaghan threatened to skip the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if Thomas were permitted to compete, using provocative language that the Australian swimmer never actually said.
These fake quotes have spread across multiple platforms including Facebook, Instagram and X, prompting the national swimming body to demand their removal.
It turns out O'Callaghan has never spoken publicly about transgender athletes, making these viral posts completely unfounded.
The false posts claim O'Callaghan declared: "I will not participate in the 2028 Olympics if that MAN, Lia Thomas, is allowed to compete."
Swimming Australia has stepped in to combat false social media posts that wrongly claim Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan made inflammatory remarks about transgender swimmer Lia Thomas
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They go on to suggest she said Thomas should compete in men's events and that "sharing a pool with Lia Thomas is an insult and a disgrace."
These fabricated statements have appeared widely on Meta's platforms Facebook and Instagram, as well as on X.
The posts have sparked widespread reaction online, with many people believing the quotes were genuine.
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Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was the subject of the false quotes uploaded to social media
|Swimming Australia confirmed on Sunday that all of the inflammatory statements were completely made up.
The sporting body released an official statement declaring: “At no stage has O’Callaghan been interviewed and provided commentary on transgender athletes.
“Meta has been advised of the fake news, and O’Callaghan and Swimming Australia have requested the posts to be taken down.”
Despite these requests, the posts were still visible across Facebook on Monday, with many continuing to spread the false information.
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A Meta spokesman told Guardian Australia they are "investigating the request," but no immediate action has been taken.
Swimming Australia declined to provide additional comments beyond their initial statement.
O'Callaghan is truly one of Australia's brightest swimming stars, having claimed five Olympic gold medals already, at just 21 years old.
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Mollie O'Callaghan has already won five Olympic gold medals during her short career
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She triumphed over fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus in the 200m freestyle at the Paris Olympics and contributed to four relay victories.
The champion swimmer added a world title to her collection in Tokyo this July, cementing her status as a true global champion despite her young age.
Meanwhile, Thomas remains barred from women's competitions under World Aquatics guidelines introduced in 2022, which exclude anyone who's experienced male puberty from the female category.
The American swimmer unsuccessfully challenged these rules before the Paris Olympics through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.