US Olympic Committee appears to comply with Trump EO on women's sports in new announcement
Citing President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" order, the U.S. Olympic Committee is updating its own policies.
The organization's decision follows other universities and groups falling in line with Executive Order 14201.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) appears to have barred biological males from participating women’s competitions, citing President Donald Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
The July 21 policy change to the USOPC’s Athlete Safety Policy, confirmed in a letter to national governing bodies, references Trump’s Executive Order 14201. Signed in February, the order threatens to revoke federal funding from organizations that allow transgender athletes to compete in female divisions.
[RELATED: More than a dozen states still not complying with new Title IX interpretation]
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” wrote USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter to federations governing several sports, reported by the Associated Press. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women.”
The move follows a similar decision by the NCAA earlier this year and marks a significant shift in how gender categories are enforced in U.S. athletics.
The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) underwent a similar shift earlier this month, stripping the athletic records of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
UPenn allowed Thomas, a male born William Thomas, to join a female swim team and compete against the opposite gender in violation, a move the Department of Education found to be in violation of civil rights laws.
The Trump administration unfroze $175 million in funds for the university after the institution’s decision on Thomas was announced.
[RELATED: Dept. of Ed urges NCAA to rescind records, awards from men playing in women’s divisions]
After the USOPC’s own decision, federations overseeing Olympic sports such as swimming and track are now required to revise their eligibility rules.
The USOPC said it has engaged in “respectful and constructive conversations” with federal officials and will continue collaborating with the International Olympic Committee an International Paralympic Committee to uphold fair standards.
The policy cites the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which governs amateur athletic organizations in the U.S., as a legal foundation for the change.