Latest news with #gendereligibility
Fox News
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Female swimmers speak out against organization for seeking PR help with trans athlete scandal
Three female U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) athletes have spoken out against the organization for asking for help with public relations amid a scandal involving a biological male trans competitor swimming against females. USMS, a competitive swimming membership organization with over 60,000 adult swimmers, sent an email to its athletes Tuesday seeking help defending its public image after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a lawsuit against the organization. Paxton's lawsuit stems from an incident in San Antonio at the end of April, when a trans athlete won five women's events. "We need your help setting the record straight as part of our newly launched #SwimsuitsNotLawsuits campaign," the email to members said. The email went on to ask that members "share correct information when you see or hear inaccurate statements. Please help us by providing facts in response, whether it's on social media, at the pool, or in your local community. Let others know what's great about our organization." The email also referred to "rumors" about the situation. "This situation began with rumors about one member's performance at our Spring Nationals in April in San Antonio. An external organization fueled online speculation about this swimmer's eligibility, which led to protests from fellow members and an investigation by the Attorney General in Texas," the email added. USMS revised its gender eligibility policy in June to restrict the competitive recognition biological males can attain in women's events, but it still allows them to compete with females. Veteran women's swimmer Wendy Enderle, who competed against the trans athlete in April and previously told Fox News Digital she was never made aware of the athlete's biological sex, told Fox News Digital she sees the email as "an insult." "I think the email from USMS is insulting to the women who unknowingly competed against men and to all the members of USMS who support fairness in women's sports, and it p---es me off," Enderle said. "It also makes me feel like my concerns have been dismissed and that U.S. Masters Swimming is trying to sweep this under the rug with a PR campaign, especially given the fact that they have yet to respond to the eligibility review requests submitted three months ago. "It makes me feel hurt and sad because I train very hard to be one of the top swimmers in the world in my age group, and, like, my hard work and accomplishments in the pool don't matter to them. I am very disappointed in USMS for sending out this tone-deaf email to its members." Enderle previously said she requested an eligibility review for the trans athlete but has never received a response. Women's swimmer Angie Griffin called out USMS for its policies that still allow males to compete in women's events and for not responding to the request for eligibility review. "USMS is asking members to publicly support the organization through a PR campaign, while continuing to ignore the women who were directly affected," Griffin said. "Placing the feelings of one athlete above the rights of many to fair competition was a mistake, and it still hasn't been acknowledged. We're not asking for much, just a response. Those of us who took the time to file formal protests deserve to be taken seriously. A simple answer would go a long way toward rebuilding trust. "I appreciate that USMS has since revised its eligibility policy. That's a step in the right direction. But real accountability means recognizing past harm — not rewriting history or shifting blame. Until that happens, asking us to be the public voice defending the organization feels premature and unfair." Fellow women's swimmer Cissy Cochran told Fox News Digital she is refusing to compete in any USMS events after receiving the email. "USMS has now sent out an email asking all the members to participate in a PR campaign to help clear up any misconceptions," Cochran said. "They again place the Interim transgender policy at the forefront, making it look like they have cleaned up their act when, in fact, we have received no word on the eligibility request we have submitted the first week of May 2025. Maybe a first step should have been acknowledging the wrong that took place in April. "USMS refusing to acknowledge or even respond to our formal complaints speaks volumes about the leadership. I refuse to participate in any USMS events and welcome all the help from the Texas and Florida attorney general in our fight to save women's sports." A USMS spokesperson told Fox News Digital the review process for the athlete is "ongoing." "USMS's eligibility review process for one swimmer is still ongoing. We are navigating our process in a fair and deliberate manner and expect to have a decision soon. The members who submitted protests will be the first to know when that process is complete," the USMS spokesperson said. The spokesperson also addressed the complaints made by the female swimmers. "The messaging we sent to our members had nothing to do with the eligibility review process. We launched our Swimsuits Not Lawsuits campaign to correct misleading public statements about USMS and clarify what we do. Our mission is to empower adults to improve their lives through swimming," the spokesperson said. "We believe asking for our members' help correcting misperceptions is an appropriate way to limit resources spent on legal action so it can be used for its intended purpose of serving our 60,000 members, and the response from our members thus far has been positive." The trans swimmer, 47-year-old Ana Caldas, dominated all five races the athlete competed in in April, taking gold in the women's age 45-49 category in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and the 100-yard individual medley.
Daily Mail
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Athletes competing in women's category at World Championships MUST take 'once-in-a-lifetime' test to prove they are biologically female
Athletes wishing to compete in the women's category at September's World Championships must take a test to prove they are biologically female. Track and field stars, including Britain's Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, will be required to take a 'once-in-a-lifetime' test for the SRY gene, which will be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test. If athletes refuse to take the test or test positive for the Y (male) chromosome, they will not be allowed to compete in the female category at future competitions. The new rules will be applied ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo, which begins on September 13, with athletes required to have completed the test before the closing date for entries on September 1. World Athletics banned transgender women from competing in the female category at international events two years ago, but the new test further tightens their regulations. The move follows the controversy in the women's boxing at last summer's Paris Olympics, when Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting won golds despite being disqualified from the previous year's World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests. The move comes after the controversy of the last Olympics, when Imane Khelif won gold despite being disqualified from the World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests 'The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women's sport,' said World Athletics president Lord Coe. '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. 'We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology.' World Athletics have warned athletes to get tested 'as soon as possible', as it can take up to two weeks for cheek swap or blood samples to be analysed and the results issued. Member federations will carry out the tests of their own athletes, but the global governing body will contribute up to £75 per test for those competing in Tokyo. The SRY gene is seen as a 'reliable proxy for determining biological sex' and the test is said to be 'extremely accurate' with the risk of false negatives or positives 'extremely unlikely'.
Fox News
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
USA Volleyball complies with Trump's executive order, bans trans athletes from girls' and women's competition
USA Volleyball (USAV) has become the latest organization to change its gender eligibility policy to align itself with President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at barring transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. The latest policy change, which takes effect immediately, states that all members of USAV "are expected to participate or compete in all USAV-sanctioned events or activities as a member of the gender assigned at the time of birth on their birth certificate." The change effectively bans transgender athletes from competition as a response to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which quietly updated its guidance on Monday to require that all national sports governing bodies comply with the president's executive order. "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. "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." USA Fencing was one of the first organizations to announce this week that it was updating its gender eligibility policy to comply with the USOPC's new guidance. USAV followed suit on Thursday, adding that the change puts the organization "into compliance" with federal law. USAV's previous gender eligibility policy for the 2024-2025 season previously stated that the "vast majority of athletes are expected to compete as a member of the gender assigned at the time of birth on their birth certificate." However, transgender athletes were permitted to compete in USAV-sanctioned events if they met certain criteria. That requirement list included informing USAV at least six weeks prior to competition, a statement "that they wish to compete in the gender opposite that of their birth," another statement from a treating physician, including medical records, and lab reports of testosterone levels for any athletes over the age of 13. For the last requirement, athletes assigned male at birth wishing to compete in women's events were required to prove that testosterone levels did not exceed "the upper limit of the normal female reference range for their age group." For adults over 18, testosterone levels were to be "less than 10 nmol/L for a minimum of 1 year prior" prior to the competition or event. The new policy change strictly limits athletes to competitions that align with the gender on their original birth certificate. It will apply to all USAV-sanctioned events in the U.S. The president signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order on Feb. 5. Since then, several sports governing bodies have taken action to comply with the federal law. The NCAA was the first, announcing a policy change the day after Trump signed the order. Following a months-long investigation, the University of Pennsylvania also made changes, and at least 24 states have implemented legislation banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
USA Fencing changes transgender policy, cites new guidance from US Olympic Committee
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! USA Fencing has updated its gender eligibility policy after months of criticism for allowing biological males to compete in the women's category. The organization appeared to update its policy last week to include the following requirements for competing in domestic women's competitions: "Athletes who are of the female sex, provided all other entry criteria have been met." The new policy will go into effect beginning next month. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON The previous policy stated: "To participate in a USA Fencing-sanctioned event, athletes are to register with USA Fencing as the gender in which they identify," adding that biological males "may only compete in women's events after completing one calendar year (12 months) of testosterone suppression treatment." USA Fencing announced in late April that it was preparing to change its gender-eligibility policy to ensure that the women's category would be "open exclusively to athletes of the female sex." The new official policy does not include the "exclusively" language that was used in April's proposal. USA Fencing has declined to clarify to Fox News Digital if the new policy explicitly prevents all biological males from competing in women's events. USA Fencing also declined to specify how it will enforce the new policy, whether mandatory sex testing will be implemented or whether it will accept amended birth certificates as proof of birth sex. USA Fencing addressed the new policy in a public statement, claiming that the change came in response to new guidelines released by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). "On July 18, 2025, the USOPC released new athlete-safety guidelines that all national governing bodies must follow under a federal executive order issued by the president earlier this year. In response, USA Fencing will implement the updated Transgender & Non Binary Participation Policy that was first published and shared with the fencing community on April 15, 2025. This policy will be effective Aug. 1, 2025, for every sanctioned competition," the statement reads. "We remain firmly committed to respect, fairness and athlete well-being. This update, mandated by the USOPC, aligns our sport with current national standards while keeping community support at the forefront." WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN'S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS Fox News Digital has reached out to the USOPC for a response to USA Fencing's statement. The USOPC's transgender eligibility policy page now includes a note that reads, "As of July 21, 2025, please refer to the USOPC athlete safety policy." That policy does not lay out any clear guidelines regarding trans inclusion in women's sports. However, it does include one paragraph that directly cites President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. "USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities… to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201," the policy reads. USA Fencing has been under a national microscope for its gender eligibility policy since April 2, when footage of women's fencer Stephanie Turner kneeling to protest a trans opponent at a competition in Maryland went viral. Turner was disqualified and given a black card for her refusal to face the trans opponent, prompting mass backlash against USA Fencing. The controversy was then the subject of a federal hearing on May 7. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee's "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" saw Turner testify against USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt. In early June, USA Fencing's board of directors voted to amend its previous policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that may have prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events. Both of those policies were also highly criticized in the aftermath of Turner's viral protest. Then, the very next week, two USA Fencing board of directors members filed a lawsuit against the other six at-large members, alleging Lehfeldt made false statements to Congress at the May 7 hearing. The plaintiffs, Andrey Geva and Abdel Salem, each have long ties to the sport and organization, previously coaching or competing for Team USA. USA Fencing acknowledged the lawsuit in a statement to Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "USA Fencing proudly serves its members – athletes, coaches, referees and clubs – across our community with absolute transparency and integrity. This derivative lawsuit misrepresents our organization, and we will vigorously defend the organization in court; any attempt to disparage them will be addressed appropriately," the statement read. "Because litigation is ongoing, we cannot discuss details. Our focus remains unwavering: advancing fencing nationwide, supporting every member's success, and upholding the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement."
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Defiant Imane Khelif breaks silence after new plans for rules to 'protect female Olympians' emerge amid gold medallist's leaked medical report
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has broken her silence in the wake of new measures announced to 'protect the female category' in sport – as controversy continues to swirl around her Paris gold medal. Khelif, 26, became a national hero in Algerian last summer after claiming gold in the women's 66kg division at the 2024 Olympics. But her triumph was marred by the emergence of past medical disputes, including claims she had been barred from the 2023 World Championships after reportedly failing gender eligibility tests. Khelif is not transgender and was assigned female at birth, but her eligibility has been questioned due to reported hormone levels that allegedly exceeded thresholds set by boxing authorities. Calls for Khelif to be stripped of her medal intensified in recent weeks, with the president of the International Boxing Association demanding she hand it back. However, new International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry has insisted there will be no retrospective action on Khelif's result, confirming she will be allowed to keep her Olympic title. Khelif had maintained a public silence throughout the furore – until now. Posting on Instagram, the boxer shared a defiant message alongside a selfie, writing: 'Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.' Khelif also included lyrics from Sia's song I'm Still Here, which speaks of resilience and survival. Her post came just days after Coventry, in her first major address as IOC president, announced the formation of a working group tasked with safeguarding women's sport while confirming a ban on transgender athletes and those with differences of sexual development from competing in female categories. 'There was overwhelming support that we should protect the female category,' Coventry said in a livestreamed meeting. 'We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that, as the IOC, we should place emphasis on protection of the female category.' Coventry added that the IOC would not revisit past results, saying: 'We are not going to be doing anything retrospectively. We are going to be looking forward.' However, Khelif's future in the ring remains uncertain. World Boxing has recently introduced mandatory testing to confirm athletes' eligibility for women's competitions, a move that could prevent Khelif from defending her Olympic title unless she complies with the new requirements. For now, Khelif appears determined to keep fighting, sharing a message of persistence with her followers as the debate over fairness in women's sport continues to escalate in the lead-up to the next Olympic cycle.
