Latest news with #U.S.OlympicandParalympicCommittee
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter: Trump establishes task force ahead of Summer Olympics 2028 return to US
PLANNING FOR GAMES – An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday established a White House task force for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Trump named himself the chair of the task force. Continue reading … WOMEN'S SPORTS – President Donald Trump suggested a "very strong form of (genetic) testing" for women's sports could be in place for the 2028 Summer Games. Trump's comments come after the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee amended its athlete policy. Continue reading … MATCH POINT – The U.S. Department of Education said it had reached an agreement with Wagner College. The deal cited the moment Stephanie Turner kneeled when she was matched up with a transgender athlete at a USA Fencing competition. Continue reading … NO THANKS – Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley did not accept President Donald Trump's invitation to serve on the Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. On Monday, Barkley told reporters he was "shocked" to hear his name mentioned by Trump considering he declined the offer months ago. Continue reading … 'DISORDERLY CONDUCT' – The man alleged to have been responsible for throwing an object resembling a sex toy onto the court during a recent Atlanta Dream game faces counts of disorderly conduct, public indecency and indecent exposure and criminal trespass, according to police records. Continue reading … GAME DISRUPTION – A sex toy thrown towards the court during the Los Angeles Sparks game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday appeared to land near WNBA player Sophie Cunningham. Continue reading … NFL RETURN – Teddy Bridgewater is making another NFL comeback. The veteran quarterback is set to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team's general manager, Jason Licht, confirmed. Continue reading … FROM FOX SPORTS – Jen Pawol is set to make Major League Baseball history. A promotion put her in line to become the first woman to umpire a MLB game. Pawol was named the home plate umpire for Sunday's matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins. Continue reading … FROM OUTKICK – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell anticipates the RedZone channel will "stay the same" after ESPN takes over the production. A landmark acquisition agreement is set to place the NFL's linear properties under ESPN's control. In exchange, the NFL will take an equity stake in ESPN. Continue reading … WATCH NOW – Cleveland Browns great Joe Thomas joined FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd to discuss Shedeur Sanders' first preseason start. Thomas also delves into Aaron Rodgers' uneven start with the Steelers. Watch here … FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
USA Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump says 2028 Olympic athletes will be tested to prevent transgender competitors
Asked if he would consider genetic testing to stop transgender Olympic competitors, Trump said "there will be a very, very strong form of testing." President Donald Trump said athletes hoping to compete in the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles will be tested to prevent transgender athletes from participating. Asked during an Aug. 5 press conference focused on the Olympics if he would consider genetic testing to stop transgender competitors, Trump said "there will be a very, very strong form of testing, and if the test doesn't come out appropriately they won't be in the Olympics." Trump signed an executive order in February aimed at barring transgender student athletes from participating in women's sports. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee later changed its rules to prevent participation by transgender women, citing Trump's executive order. USOPC president Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland sent a letter to the Olympic community saying the change came after "a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" following the executive order. On Aug. 4, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued policy guidance preventing trans women from receiving 'extraordinary ability' visas to compete in women's sports. Trump's comments about testing athletes came after he signed an executive order to create a White House Olympics task force to handle security and other issues related to the 2028 games. The games are expected to draw 11,000 Olympic and 4,500 Paralympic athletes. Contributing: Nancy Armour, Reuters
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Immigration Officials Issue US Visa Policy Update
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Immigration officials have issued new guidance on who should be allowed into the United States "to prevent the entry of male athletes seeking to compete in women's sports." On Monday, the latest directive from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services revealed that international transgender athletes will not be allowed to enter the U.S. to compete. Various visa options have now been closed off to them. The move comes ahead of the U.S. hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Last month, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee updated its guidelines to reflect that it will comply with President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from the Games. Newsweek reached out to the White House and the LGBTQ+ group Athlete Ally via email for comment outside of working hours. President Donald Trump is joined by female athletes as he signs the 'No Men in Women's Sports' executive order at the White House on February 5, 2025. President Donald Trump is joined by female athletes as he signs the 'No Men in Women's Sports' executive order at the White House on February 5, It Matters The new immigration rules come amid an increasingly fierce debate about the rights of transgender athletes and their inclusion in women's sports. Critics argue it is unfair for biological women to go head-to-head with trans women because they cannot compete on an even playing field. Some also have safety concerns, including fears that women could be at risk of serious injury in contact sports. However, others argue that trans athletes should enjoy the same opportunity to participate in sport as anyone else, and insist that transgender rights are simply human rights. Sports governing bodies and sports teams in schools across the U.S. have responded differently to the debate, resulting in a patchwork of various policies. What To Know The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it was "updating [its] policy" on August 4. "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual in alignment with Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, which directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop policies to prevent the entry of male athletes seeking to compete in women's sports," the agency said. It added: " USCIS will affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities by granting certain athlete-related petitions and applications, that had previously been abused and offered to men, only to women, ensuring that male aliens seeking immigration benefits aren't coming to the U.S. to participate in women's sports." The directive went on to lay out the particular visas that may be affected by the change, such as the O-1A aliens of extraordinary ability, E11 aliens of extraordinary ability, and the E21 aliens of exceptional ability. USCIS said: "This policy update clarifies that USCIS considers the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women as a negative factor in determining whether the alien is among the small percentage at the very top of the field; USCIS does not consider a male athlete who has gained acclaim in men's sports and seeks to compete in women's sports in the United States to be seeking to continue work in his area of extraordinary ability; male athletes seeking to enter the country to compete in women's sports do not substantially benefit the United States; and it is not in the national interest to the United States to waive the job offer and, thus, the labor certification requirement for male athletes whose proposed endeavor is to compete in women's sports." The policy is "effective immediately." What People Are Saying U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson Matthew Tragesser, in a press release: "Men do not belong in women's sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women. It's a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women's sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who've long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense." LGBTQ+ group Athlete Ally, in a July 23 statement in response to news that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee plans to ban trans women from its female-category competitions: "This decision is yet another striking blow to that hope for a more inclusive and equitable solution and further contributes to the erasure of transgender people from existing safely in society. We mourn for the careers that will be lost because of this decision and for every transgender young person who will never have the opportunity to play sports because of this." What Happens Next The visa policy, effective immediately, includes pending requests, meaning trans athletes hoping to come to the United States to compete or train will no longer be allowed to do so. It remains to be seen whether there will be any legal challenges.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Athletics mandates genetic testing for female athletes to determine biological sex
Female athletes who want to compete on the international stage in women's events will be required to undergo a one-time genetic test, the World Athletics Council announced. The new changes take effect Sept. 1, just in time for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo that begin Sept. 13. The test for the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome and determines male sex in humans and other mammals, can be used to determine biological sex. Female athletes can have the once-in-a-lifetime test conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient. "The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women's sport. It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case," World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said. In 2023, World Athletics banned transgender athletes who had transitioned male to female and gone through male puberty, and it previously announced earlier this year that changes were forthcoming to determine biological sex in competing athletes. The organization said moving forward it would not judge or question gender identity, respect and preserve the dignity and privacy of individuals, and "never has and never would impose any obligation to undergo surgery." In the United States, President Donald Trump issued an executive order just last week, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee telling the federations under its purview that they had an "obligation to comply" with the order. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Female athletes will undergo genetic testing for competition
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Donald Trump‑backed USOPC transgender athlete ban may never take effect as legal challenges intensify
Donald Trump‑backed USOPC transgender athlete ban may never take effect as legal challenges intensify (Image via Getty) The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in July 2025 changed its rules to ban transgender women from women's Olympic sports. The change happened after President Donald Trump's team gave a legal letter explaining it would not break the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act from 1978. That legal cover let USOPC update policy, but experts say court fights are likely. Jill Pilgrim and other Olympic legal experts warn USOPC policy may face lawsuits In July 2025 in Washington, lawyers from the Trump administration sent USOPC a legal brief. They argued that banning transgender women did not conflict with the Ted Stevens Act, the law that guides Olympic sports in the US. This gave USOPC room to roll out a new Athlete Safety Policy. The policy says all 54 national governing bodies must rewrite their rules to match Trump's February 2025 executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports'. USOPC leadership- CEO Sarah Hirshland and board chair Gene Sykes sent a letter to all sport groups. They said, 'As a federally chartered organization, we must follow federal expectations,' and that the new policy aligns with the Ted Stevens Act. Only a few sport bodies had rules that already matched the new policy when USOPC released the guidance. USA Fencing was among the first to change, after a woman in Maryland refused to compete against a transgender opponent. Shannon Minter says transgender athletes will challenge new USOPC rule Olympic legal expert Jill Pilgrim, a former general counsel for USA Track & Field, praised the Trump legal brief. She called it 'a well thought‑out, well‑reasoned set of arguments for people who want to look at it from that perspective.' Yet she added she would be 'pretty shocked if this doesn't get challenged' by a trans athlete at world championship or Olympic trials. Also Read: Khabib Nurmagomedov Shuts Door On UFC Return With Honest Message About Fight Life Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, said it will not be hard to find a transgender athlete harmed by the change. She predicted the legal brief 'will be challenged and is highly unlikely to succeed.' Minter explained some international federations allow transgender women under specific conditions and USOPC cannot override that. Traditional process means an athlete first goes through Section IX arbitration before suing in U.S. courts. Pilgrim explained that if an athlete wins arbitration and USOPC bans them anyway, then legal action is almost certain. FAQs What is the USOPC transgender athlete ban? It's a new rule from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee that stops transgender women from competing in women's sports. Why did USOPC change its transgender athlete policy? USOPC updated the policy after Donald Trump's legal team said it would not break the Ted Stevens Act. Can the USOPC transgender athlete ban be challenged? Yes, experts say transgender athletes could challenge the ban in court or through Section IX arbitration. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
