Transgender women athletes will now face exclusion from U.S. Olympic and Paralympic activities, according to new policy from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
“In our world of elite sport, these elements of fairness demand that we reconcile athlete inclusion and athlete opportunity,” reads a statement on the USOPC website. “The only way to do that for all genders, and specifically for those who are transgender, is to rely on real data and science-based evidence rather than ideology. That means making science-based decisions, sport by sport and discipline by discipline, within both the Olympic and Paralympic movements.”
A Monday note on a page about “transgender athlete participation in sport” reads “please refer to the USOPC athlete safety policy” and links a document, a portion of which states it “will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities” to guarantee “that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201.”
In Executive Order 14201, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” President Trump stated the U.S. is against “male competitive participation in women’s sports” as a matter “of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.” The order bars trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
The new policy was first reported by The New York Times.
Trump said in February that his administration will not let transgender athletes compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
A USOPC spokesperson said the organization notified its “community of stakeholders” of the new policy via email on Tuesday.
“As many of you are aware, the Administration issued Executive Order 14201 earlier this year aimed at protecting women’s sport. Since then, the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials,” USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill.
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” they wrote, adding further down, “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.”
Sykes and Hirshland’s statement does not say whether the policy change will impact female athletes with differences in sex development (DSD). A USOPC spokesperson declined to answer, telling The Hill in an email that there is “no additional info to share at the moment.”
Brooke Migdon contributed to this report.
