The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has reportedly complied with Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
According to NBC News, the committee updated its policies on Tuesday to reflect Trump’s order and suggest that trans women will no longer be able to compete against biological females while representing USA at the Olympics and Paralympics.
While the word ‘transgender’ is not mentioned in any of the 27 pages, its new ‘Athlete Safety Policy’ includes language that implies the change has been made almost a year on from the previous Games in Paris.
‘The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC, IPC, NGBs, to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act,’ the document says, according to NBC’s report.
The New York Times also reports that national governing bodies of sports federations in the US – which oversee sporting events for all ages – must now follow the Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s lead, according to several chief executives of sports within the Olympic movement.
Trump signed the executive order to ban trans athletes from women’s sports back in February, a move which some Democratic-led US states have chosen to ignore.
Donald Trump’s order banning trans athletes from women’s sports has received a major boost
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has reportedly complied with Trump’s order
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Back in May, the president threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not follow the order, before suing its Department of Education when they refused to do so.
The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department said California’s trans athlete stance violated Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex.
The department also claimed the state’s policies ‘are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys.’
US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned other states that allow trans girls to compete in female athletics that they could also face challenges by the federal government.
Last year’s Paris Olympics was marred by controversy after Imane Khelif – a boxer from Algeria – was allowed to fight against women in the welterweight category despite intense scrutiny over her gender.
Khelif went all the way and captured gold in the French capital, which sparked outrage given she was thrown out of the world championship in 2023 after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
USA Fencing recently posted a new policy for trans athletes that will take effect on August 1. The governing body, which came under fire earlier this year after a female fencer was disqualified for refusing to face a trans opponent, will now restric trans women to only competing in the men’s category.