Latest news with #ExecutiveOrder14201
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Transgender athletes in limbo as Olympic sports grapple with USOPC ban
American transgender women will no longer be able to compete in events that match their gender identity, as the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee aligned its policies on athlete eligibility to match the Trump administration's gender politics. Earlier this week the USOPC quietly updated its athlete safety policy, 'to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act.' In a letter reported by international media, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirschland and board chair Gene Sykes justified the change by saying 'as a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations.' The letter went on to say that the USOPC would work with National Governing Bodies (NGBs) under its umbrella to hammer out details. Since taking office Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have pushed a number of executive orders limiting transgender participation in public life. Examples include preventing transgender women from using bathrooms that match their gender identity in federally owned buildings, threatening to withdraw federal funding from hospitals that provide gender affirming healthcare for transgender children and barring transgender girls and women from playing on sports teams that match their identity in schools. Both California and Maine received threats from the Trump Administration over the potential to withhold federal funds unless transgender school sport inclusion policies were changed. Maine sued the administration after funds were withheld, settling out of court and not budging on changing its policies. Meanwhile, California's track and field state championships were mired in controversy after introducing a new policy that allowed transgender athletes to compete, but offered separate podium spots for cisgender athletes that were beaten by transgender athletes. The long-term ramifications of the USOPC's decision remain up in the air. The committee did not respond to multiple requests and a detailed list of questions from the Chronicle about which level of athletes will be affected, or how the new policy came to be. What levels this ban will apply to, however, have not been finalized, but will have an impact well beyond the U.S. national teams. As part of its mission to administer Olympic sports in the United States the USOPC oversees 50 Olympic NGBs and a variety of Paralympic NGBs. The USOPC's decision to change its athlete eligibility policy exposes a tough reality for the IOC, which oversees 206 different National Olympic Committees. The USOPC does not receive any federal funding, and as a private organization is not bound by federal policy. However, it does draw a significant amount of its athlete base from the NCAA and other school institutions. Navigating a political landscape where different countries have different laws and regulations regarding gender identity in sports is the IOC's new reality after it spent close to a decade reviewing its landmark 2016 policy that allowed athletes to compete in the Olympic Games without the need for gender confirmation surgery. Previously, transgender athletes were first allowed to compete in the Olympic Games at Athens 2004, but required surgery to be eligible. 'This is a highly complex topic which has been approached by International Federations and National Olympic Committees in different ways depending on their sport and their national legislation and context,' an IOC spokesperson said in a statement to the Chronicle. The body is now seeing NOCs and International Federations taking markedly different paths to implementing its 2021 'Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations.' That policy represented a marked shift for the IOC, delegating to international federations the responsibility to draft its own policies with regards to transgender, intersex and gender diverse athletes in their sports. Still, the policy called on federations to both respect people's gender identity and craft processes to draft policies that did not presume competitive advantages from transgender athletes. Kirsty Coventry became the first woman to lead the IOC after she was elected president in June of this year. The new President is a staunch ally of outgoing president Thomas Bach, who oversaw both the 2016 and 2021 transgender inclusion policies. The same month of her election the IOC held a workshop on the future of transgender inclusion in women's sport, which led to 'overwhelming support…for the proposal that the IOC should protect the female category.' 'It was agreed by the IOC Members that the IOC should take a leading role in this, and should bring together experts and the International Federations, in order to look for a consensus,' the spokesperson added. With the USOPC's decision to move in line with the Trump administration's political agenda and despite the lack of any federal laws banning transgender athletes, the new policy would not be considered government interference in a National Olympic Committee's affairs. If an NOC is found to have been influenced by a national government, the IOC could revoke its standing and bar athletes from competing under their national flag at the Olympic Games. In addition, the IOC has offered athletes with barred NOCs or other extenuating political circumstances the chance to compete in the Olympics as independent or neutral athletes. It remains to be seen if transfeminine athletes from the United States can compete if rules for the international federations which organize competitions have more liberal transgender inclusion policies. How those athletes would compete in the United States in events organized by international federations, and not the USOPC or relevant NGBs, such as the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games or other World Championships, also remains an open question. In the United States, some NGBs have attempted to begin answering some of these questions. At least one NGB, USA Fencing, changed its eligibility to reflect the updated policy from the USOPC. Other NGBs such as USA Track and Field and USA Swimming had previously updated their eligibility policies to be in line with their sports' international federations, which had placed strict requirements for participating transgender women – which many organizations have labeled de facto bans. USA Fencing on its website says that it updated its eligibility policy to bring 'fencing into compliance,' with the new USOPC guidance and will be effective on Aug. 1. Previously in April, USA Fencing put on its website a ' proactive ' update to its inclusion policy that would not go into effect unless directed by the USOPC or the International Fencing Federation (FIE), which came from a 'months‑long review,' starting in 2023 according to USA Fencing Director of Communications Bryan Wendell. 'The policy applies to all USA Fencing‑sanctioned domestic competitions and categories, including amateur, veteran/masters, and youth events. Mixed‑gender local events remain unchanged,' Wendell told the Chronicle, and that there was 'no formal directive' from the USfOPC about this policy. Transgender athletes competing at all levels told the Chronicle there remain a number of questions, such as whether all NGBs will extend this policy to include all competitions, including masters and amateur competition. '[This] ambiguity is abject cowardice meant to shield USOPC leadership from consequences while creating a policy vacuum that will almost certainly hurt everyone that isn't a cisgender man,' Kristen Aliberto, a transfeminine player for the New York Exiles of Women's Elite Rugby said. Without clarity, trans women have no idea where they will be able to compete in their sports going forward, if they are even able to, she added. Athlete Ally, an advocacy organization dedicated to promoting inclusion for LGBTQ athletes in all sports, called the USOPC 'another example of an institution giving up their authority and expertise to politicians" in a statement. 'This rule change is not in response to new research or new guidelines from medical experts in sports. Instead, it is the result of mounting political pressure and government hostility toward one of the smallest minorities in society, let alone sports.' The Ted Stevens Act from 1978 chartered the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Executive Order 14201 was signed by President Donald Trump after his second inauguration, titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' and threatened to revoke federal funding to schools and institutions that allow transgender women from competing in women's sports. The order did not discuss intersex or transgender male athletes, instead designating that the only athletes able to compete in 'women's' events were those assigned female at birth by a doctor. Almost immediately, the NCAA announced it would comply with the executive order and updated its athlete eligibility policy, a change that affected 'less than 10' student-athletes among more than 500,000 playing college sports in the U.S. For U.S. transfeminine athletes, Olympic dreams appear to have been shattered, with little recourse for how this conflicting set of rules aligns with the current patchwork international sport system. And for amateur athletes, there will be questions about how far NGBs go in banning transfeminine athletes in masters and youth events not organized in school settings. Legal challenges in both the U.S. court system and the Court of Arbitration for Sport remain possibilities.
Sky News AU
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Liberal senator Claire Chandler calls for Australia to follow US Olympic and Paralympic Committee in barring transgender athletes from competition
Liberal Senator Claire Chandler has called for the Australian Olympic Committee to follow the United States' lead and ban transgender athletes from competition. The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) quietly updated its eligibility rules on Monday, slipping into its 27-page Athlete Safety Policy a section saying it would 'collaborate with various stakeholders… to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201'. Executive Order 14201 is more widely known as the Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports order, which US President Donald Trump signed in February. In a letter to governing sporting bodies obtained by US media outlets, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland and president Gene Sykes said the updated policy 'emphasises the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women.' 'All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment,' the letter warned. The move follows last year's Olympics controversy surrounding gold medalist boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who are not transgender but reportedly failed prior gender eligibility tests. Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo also became the first Paralympic transgender athlete to compete last year. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics in 2021. Senator Chandler welcomed the move by USOPC, calling on the Australian committee to take similar steps. 'The Australian Olympic Committee should be doing what all sporting organisations around the world are doing and recognising that female athletes want to have their sporting categories protected,' Senator Chandler said. 'I'm very glad to see sporting organisations finally recognising the need to protect female-only sport, but frankly speaking, it's taken far too long to get to this point. 'We know that World Athletics, World Swimming, World Rugby, all these peak international sporting organisations over the last five years have realised that women's sport needs protecting. It is well past time that Australian sporting organisations start doing exactly the same thing.' The Liberal called for her parliamentary colleagues to revive her failed Save Women's Sports bill, a private member's bill she introduced in 2022. 'My Save Women's Sports bill is just as relevant now as it was three or four years ago, when I first introduced it to the parliament, and it's ridiculous that women and girls in Australia don't have a legal right to their own sport,' Senator Chandler said. 'That bill is still there and if anyone - government, Coalition, crossbench - wants to pick that bill up and try and get it through the parliament, I think that would be a very useful conversation for us as a parliament to have.' While some sporting bodies including swimming, athletics and cycling have banned transgender participating in international women's competitions, others have been more inclusive. Women's Forum Australia head of advocacy Stephanie Bastiaan said it's 'common sense' for all sporting bodies to reform their policies based on women's sex-based rights. 'We know that women are being injured, we know that they're losing spots at the Olympics and in these categories due to the fact these sporting bodies are not protecting them on the basis of biological sex and I think that they need to put their foot down and make sure that it happens,' Ms Bastiaan said. 'This is a great outcome for girls in the US. The Trump administration is to be commended for its proactive approach in protecting women's sport. 'We need the Australian government to follow suit, bringing in legislative reforms that mandate sporting bodies protect the female category on the basis of biological sex, so that all girls - regardless of whether they're playing at a community, state or elite level - have the right to a safe, fair and equal playing field.' Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said Australian sporting bodies including the AOC had been navigating the issues around transgender inclusion in a 'sensible and practical way'. 'We hope they continue to prioritise inclusion and only restrict participation where there is a clear risk to safety or fairness,' Ms Brown said. She said given the 'tiny number of trans athletes playing in any sport', a case-by-case approach remained feasible and the most effective way to protect individual rights over 'blunt and harmful blanket bans'. 'Sporting organisations across Australia have worked hard to include trans women and to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and can participate safely and fairly,' Ms Brown said. 'As recently as 2023, after extensive consultation and research, the Australian Institute of Sport found there was no case for a blanket ban on trans athletes in any sport, even at the elite level. 'Its guidelines encourage sporting bodies in Australia to start from a position of inclusion and state that any restrictions must be justified on a case-by-case basis, where strength, stamina and physique are relevant, and be no more restrictive than necessary to ensure meaningful competition for everyone.' An AOC spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Olympic and Paralympic Committee bans trans athletes ahead of LA Games
The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced it has banned transgender athletes from competing in women's sports on Tuesday, July 22. The news, which is the latest result of the Trump administration's attacks on trans athletes, comes as Los Angeles is gearing up to host the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USOPC–the governing body that oversees US participation in any Olympic or Paralympic event, as well as athlete well-being–sent a letter to Team USA community members stating that its rules surrounding transgender athletes had changed. According to the organisation's website, the USOPC issued the current version of its Athlete Safety Policy, which includes a new section under 'jurisdiction' entitled 'additional requirements', on June 18. Although the new amendment never explicitly references trans athletes, it states that the USOPC will work with stakeholders such as the International Olympic Committee 'to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201.' Named 'Keeping Men out of Women's Sports' by the Trump administration, Executive Order 14201 was signed by the US president on February 5. The policy attempts to ban trans women from all levels of national athletics by cutting federal funds from educational institutions that allow athletes to compete according to their gender identity. While the executive order states that the Trump administration will convene with representatives from major athletic institutions and governing bodies to promote the current US government's stance on trans athletes, the policy has no legally binding effect on organisations like the USOPC. 'As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,' the letter announcing the USOPC's rule change said, as reported by The New York Times. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games (@la28) Unlike most global national Olympic and Paralympic committees, the USOPC does not receive federal funding. Instead, the organisation receives most of its money from commercial and private donors. The USOPC recently received a record-breaking $100 million donation from Ross Stevens, who made headlines in 2023 for threatening to pull his $100 million donation from the University of Pennsylvania over allegations of antisemitism following Palestinian solidarity protests on campus. Two days after he called for a change in leadership at UPenn, university president Liz Magill resigned. How the new USOPC rules will be enforced regarding trans athletes remains unclear. The national governing bodies of specific sports that fall under the canopy of the USOPC have begun making rule changes. USA Fencing created a new policy on Friday, July 18, that prevents trans women from competing in women's categories. While the new rules will only impact Team USA, which has only had one openly trans athlete compete in the Olympics or Paralympics, changes at the international level could be coming. The IOC, which first allowed trans women to compete at the Olympics and Paralympics in 2004 and has since scaled back rules surrounding participation, recently elected a new president, Kirsty Coventry, who has previously supported barring trans athletes. And with the return of the Olympics and Paralympics to the US for the first time since 2002, trans rights in sports will likely remain a contested issue in the lead-up to the games. The post US Olympic and Paralympic Committee bans trans athletes ahead of LA Games appeared first on GCN.
Miami Herald
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Olympics, Paralympics to follow Trump ban on transgender women athletes
July 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Monday that it plans to follow President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender women from women's sports. The organization announced the change by updating its 27-page Athlete Safety Policy, which doesn't mention the word "transgender" at all. The document is dated June 18 but was published on the USOPC's website on Monday. It says the committee will comply with Trump's February order. "From now on, women's sports will be only for women," he said of the decree called Executive Order 14201 "No Men In Women's Sports Executive Order" during a ceremony Feb. 5 with athletes in the White House. In the Order, Trump said that banning "male competitive participation in women's sports" is a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth." "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 on the USOPC website says. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes said in a letter to the Team USA community that they had engaged in "a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" before making the change. "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations," the letter said. "The guidance we've received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness." Whether any Olympians will be affected in the 2028 Olympics isn't clear. No athlete has won an Olympic medal while competing as an openly transgender woman. "In our world of elite sport, these elements of fairness demand that we reconcile athlete inclusion and athlete opportunity," the USOPC website said. "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." About 1.3 million adults and 300,000 youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender out of 330 million people, according to a report published by Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA's Law School in 2022. Fewer than 40 of the NCAA's more than 500,000 athletes are known to be transgender, said Anna Baeth, director of research at Athlete Ally, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ equality in sports. Transgender athletes are allowed to compete in the Olympics if they meet the eligibility criteria set by their sport's International Federation. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
23-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Olympics, Paralympics to follow Trump ban on transgender women athletes
On Monday, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced it would comply with an executive order banning transgender women from women's sports. File Photo by Paul Hanna/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Monday that it plans to follow President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender women from women's sports. The organization announced the change by updating its 27-page Athlete Safety Policy, which doesn't mention the word "transgender" at all. The document is dated June 18 but was published on the USOPC's website on Monday. It says the committee will comply with Trump's February order. "From now on, women's sports will be only for women," he said of the decree called Executive Order 14201 "No Men In Women's Sports Executive Order" during a ceremony Feb. 5 with athletes in the White House. In the Order, Trump said that banning "male competitive participation in women's sports" is a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth." "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 on the USOPC website says. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes said in a letter to the Team USA community that they had engaged in "a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" before making the change. "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations," the letter said. "The guidance we've received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness." Whether any Olympians will be affected in the 2028 Olympics isn't clear. No athlete has won an Olympic medal while competing as an openly transgender woman. "In our world of elite sport, these elements of fairness demand that we reconcile athlete inclusion and athlete opportunity," the USOPC website said. "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." About 1.3 million adults and 300,000 youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender out of 330 million people, according to a report published by Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA's Law School in 2022. Fewer than 40 of the NCAA's more than 500,000 athletes are known to be transgender, said Anna Baeth, director of research at Athlete Ally, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ equality in sports. Transgender athletes are allowed to compete in the Olympics if they meet the eligibility criteria set by their sport's International Federation.
