The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has changed athlete eligibility rules to ban transgender women from sporting events.
The committee updated its “Athlete Safety Policy” to read “The USOPC is committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport. The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC, IPC, NGBs, to ensure that women have fair and safe competition environments consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act.”
The executive order referenced is also known as the “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” order. It was issued by Trump in February, according to the Washington Blade. The Ted Stevens Act established by the USOPC, defines the rights of athletes, promotes the continuation of amateur athletics, and protects against discrimination.
CEO Sarah Hirshland and Committee president Gene Sykes sent a letter to U.S. Olympic community sharing that the new changes were the result of “a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials,” following Trump’s executive order.
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” the letter reads. “The guidance we’ve received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness.”
NBCLA reports earlier this year, the USOPC claimed it wasn’t appropriate to take a position on trans participation in sports. Now, the LGBTQ+ community and trans professional athletes wait to see what this means for the 2028 summer Olympics slated to take place in Los Angeles. Ultimate eligibility standards could lie under the jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which oversees Olympic activities globally, according to NBCLA.
And last month, the USOPC claimed decisions on trans athlete participation should be made based on “real data and science-based evidence rather than ideology.”
Other sports organizations like the NCAA were quick to comply with Trump’s orders. The National Collegiate Athletic Association made changes to its transgender athlete participation policies in February after Trump threatened to “rescind all funds” from orgs allowing trans participation in women’s sports, the Blade reports.
The Los Angeles Times reports both World Athletics and World Aquatics have already imposed bans on trans women competing in events if they have undergone male puberty.
