Changes are coming and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has embraced it by updating its policies. All regulations will now comply with President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order.
The USOPC's transgender eligibility policy page now includes a note that reads, "As of July 21, 2025, please refer to the USOPC athlete safety policy."
That policy does not lay out any clear guidelines regarding trans inclusion in women's sports. However, it does include one paragraph that directly cites President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order.
"USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities ... to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201," the policy reads.
"As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation 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 fair and safe competition environments for women. All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment."
The U.S. will host the Summer Olympics in 2028.
USA Fencing was one of the first US Olympic organizations to publicly announce it has updated its gender eligibility policy to comply with the USOPC's new guidance.
USA Fencing addressed the new policy in a public statement, claiming that the change came in response to new guidelines released by the USOPC.
"On July 18, 2025, the USOPC released new athlete-safety guidelines that all national governing bodies must follow under a federal executive order issued by the president earlier this year. In response, USA Fencing will implement the updated Transgender & Non-Binary Participation Policy that was first published and shared with the fencing community on April 15, 2025. This policy will be effective Aug. 1, 2025, for every sanctioned competition," the statement reads.
"We remain firmly committed to respect, fairness and athlete well-being. This update, mandated by the USOPC, aligns our sport with current national standards while keeping community support at the forefront."
USA Gymnastics told Fox News Digital in June that it was "assessing" its gender eligibility policy after deleting a webpage outlining its previous policy.
"In May, USAG removed its policy to assess compliance with the current legal landscape," a spokesperson said.
That organization came under heavy public scrutiny after Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles ignited a viral feud with former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines on social media over the issue of trans athlete inclusion. Biles suggested Gaines was the same size as "a male" in an X post, prompting immense criticism.
USA Track and Field (USATF) official transgender eligibility policy now references the World Athletics guidelines on its official webpage.
USATF previously referenced the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s policy, as seen in an archive via Wayback Machine, which had fewer restrictions on males competing in women's sports.
The old USATF policy page was online as recent as March, but came under criticism after a 21-year-old male trans athlete defeated multiple teenage girls at a USATF event in New York on 1 March.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment