Transgender females barred from participating in women's sports by the U.S. Olympic Committee
In a move that aligns with an executive order signed by former US President Donald Trump, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has revised its Athlete Safety Policy to bar transgender women from competing in women's sports, including at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Executive Order 14201, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," was signed in February 2021. The order mandates the immediate enforcement of restrictions to prevent transgender women from participating in women's sports in the United States.
The USOPC's updated policy, announced earlier this week, emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. The committee will collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201.
The policy change follows a similar one at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which now limits competitors in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth. The USOPC's updated policy will also require national governing bodies to update their policies in alignment.
However, the USOPC's updated policy does not explicitly mention the word "transgender" in its 27-page document. Critics argue that there is little evidence of transgender athletes dominating women's sports on a larger scale. Opponents also warn that these orders will not create fair solutions in sport and are likely to deepen political polarization.
The order threatens to withdraw federal funding from schools or institutions that allow transgender athletes to compete in teams that do not match the sex they were assigned at birth. There are concerns for the mental health of young transgender athletes, should they be excluded from sport.
The IOC allows individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics. In swimming, cycling, and track and field, stricter rules on transgender athletes have already been passed, with athletes who went through male puberty banned from women's events.
The next Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games are set to be held in Los Angeles in 2028. The USOPC's update places US policy at odds with international sports bodies like the IOC and World Athletics, which allow transgender athletes to compete under specific medical or eligibility criteria.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was tasked with getting the IOC to change "the standards governing Olympic sporting events to promote fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes." Trump has expressed a desire for the IOC to change "everything having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject."
The National Women's Law Center condemned the USOPC's policy change, stating that it sacrifices the needs and safety of its own athletes. The USOPC's president, Gene Sykes, and CEO, Sarah Hirshland, sent a letter to the US Olympic community explaining the policy change on Tuesday.
In several states across the USA, laws bar transgender women and girls from participating in certain competitions. Some of these policies have been blocked in court after being challenged as discriminatory and cruel.
The revised policy reflects the Trump administration’s stance against transgender participation in female sports categories, placing the US at odds with international sports bodies and potentially creating a divisive issue in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
- The USOPC's policy change, announced this week, aligns with Executive Order 14201 titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," signed by former US President Donald Trump in February 2021, mandating the immediate enforcement of restrictions to prevent transgender women from participating in women's sports in the United States.
- The updated policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women, a factor that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) also considered in limiting competitors in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth.
- The IOC, however, allows individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics, with stricter rules on transgender athletes already passed in swimming, cycling, and track and field, where athletes who went through male puberty are banned from women's events.
- The USOPC's updated policy places US policy at odds with international sports bodies like the IOC and World Athletics, which allow transgender athletes to compete under specific medical or eligibility criteria, potentially creating a divisive issue in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
