Written By Lexx Thornton
Transgender women will no longer be eligible to compete for the United States in the Olympic orParalympic Games in women’s categories, after a recent policy change from the U.S. Olympic &Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
The committee cited PresidentDonald Trump’s February executive order, titled “Keeping MenOut of Women’s Sports,” which mandates immediate enforcement, including against schools and athletic associations that “deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms,” according to the document, and directs state attorneys general to identify best practices for enforcing the mandate.
In a memo to the Team USA community on Tuesday, USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland referenced Trump’s executive order and said, “As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations.
“The USOPC is responsible for supporting, entering and overseeing U.S. teams in the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as sporting events for all ages, from youth to masters’ competitions. In an update to its athlete safety policy, without using the word transgender byname, the USOPC said its revised policy “emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women.”
“The USOPC is committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport. TheUSOPC 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 revised policy says on the USOPC website.
The Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act establishes a process for handling eligibility disputes for each Olympic sport and participation in amateur athletic competitions. It wassponsored by Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and adopted in 1998.
Following the revised policy, USA Fencing updated its gender eligibility guidelines, which will take effect on Aug. 1. Transgender women, nonbinary athletes, transgender men and intersex athletes will compete exclusively in men’s competitions, according to the policy.
In a statement following the policy change, an International Olympic Committee (IOC)spokesperson said, “This is a highly complex topic which has been approached by International Federations and National Olympic Committees in different ways depending on their sport andtheir national legislation and context.”
IOC members engaged in a workshop last month to discuss a proposal on “the protection of the female category” regarding transgender athletes being included in women’s and girls’ competitions.
The IOC spokesperson said there was “overwhelming support” from members of the international sports governing body in favor of the proposal.
