Paralympic officials ban trans women from participating in Olympic women’s sports
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee effectively bans trans women from participating in women’s sports and tells the Federation responsible for swimming, track and field and other sports that “has an obligation to comply” with the executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
The new policy announced on Monday a quiet change was made on the USOPC website and was confirmed in a letter sent to the National Sports Administration, a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year.
Under the “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy,” the changes in the USOPC are seen as a detail and refer to Trump’s executive order, “to separate men from women’s sports.” Among other things, the order has the potential to “removal of all funds” from organizations that allow trans athletes to participate in women’s sports.
Since Trump signed the order, U.S. Olympic officials told national governing bodies that they would need to follow suit, adding: “USOPC has had a series of respectful and constructive dialogues with federal officials.”
“As a federal charter organization, we are obliged to comply with federal expectations,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring a fair and safe playing field for women. All national governing bodies must update their applicable policies in aligned manner.”
The National Women’s Law Center issued a statement condemning the move.
“By making political demands, USOPC sacrifices the needs and safety of its own athletes,” said Fatima Goss Graves, the organization’s president and CEO.
USOPC oversees about 50 national governing bodies, most of whom play a role in everything from the grassroots to the elite level of the sports. This increases the possibility that rules may need to be changed at local sports clubs to keep their members in the NGBS.
Some of these organizations (for example, American track and field athletics) have long followed the guidelines set by their own World Federation. World track and field is considering changing its policies that are primarily in line with Trump’s order.
A U.S. Swimming spokesman said the federal government has been aware of the changes in the USOPC and is consulting with the committee to figure out what changes it needs to make. The U.S. fence changed its August 1 policy to allow only “female sex athletes” in women’s competitions and open up men’s activities to “all athletes do not qualify for the women’s category, including trans women, trans men, non-binary men, non-binary and bisexual athletes and criminal athletes, as well as male athletes from Cisgender and Cisgender.”
Critics say policy discriminatory
The national transgender girls fight on women’s and women’s sports teams at the state and federal levels as the issue is a struggle for athletic equity. More than twenty states have laws prohibiting trans women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies were blocked in court after critics raised discriminatory, cruel and unnecessary niche targeting athletes.
The NCAA has changed its participation policy for trans athletes to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned to women at birth. The change came the day after Trump signed a signing aimed at banning trans athletes from participating in girls and women’s sports.
Women’s qualifications are a key issue for the International Olympic Committee, and its new president, Kirsty Coventry, said efforts to “protect the women’s category.” The IOC allows various sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics, and some have taken measures on the subject.
The stricter rules about trans athletes – unless women are active, anyone who experiences male adolescence – passes through swimming, cycling, track and field. Football is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and may set restrictions on testosterone.
Trump said he hopes the IOC will change everything “with this absolutely ridiculous theme.” Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics in 2028.
