Latest news with #SarahHirshland
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
US Olympic Committee bans transgender athletes from women's sports
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has barred transgender women from competing in Olympic women's sports on Monday, complying with an earlier order by President Donald Trump. The document does not mention the word 'transgender' but refers to Trump's order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' from February 5 that bans transgender females from women's sports teams and threatens a loss of funding for educational institutions that violate the policy. 'The USOPC will […] ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201,' according to the Athlete Safety Policy published on Monday on the USOPC website. With his return to office in January, Trump has dismantled transgender rights protections enacted by former President Joe Biden's administration, ended federal support for 'chemical and surgical mutilation' of those under the age of 19, issued a decree recognizing only male and female genders, and banned transgender individuals from serving in the military. A notification letter sent by USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes to the body's stakeholders stated that 'as a federally chartered organization, the USOPC is obligated to comply with federal requirements.' It directed the national governing bodies for all sports to update their policies accordingly. A number of institutions have already begun implementing the new rules. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was one of the first to adopt Trump's order in February. The participation of transgender athletes in international competitions has been a source of widespread controversy. Two boxers in the female division, Algeria's Imane Khelif and Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-ting, won gold medals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics after being disqualified from the 2023 World Championship for testing for the male set of chromosomes. Trump later called them men who 'transitioned.' In 2022, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, initially a member of the University of Pennsylvania men's team, won the NCAA 500-yard women's freestyle. The following year, the World Athletics Council banned transgender women who had gone through puberty as a male from female competitions.
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
U.S. Olympic, Paralympic officials bar transgender women from competing in Olympic women's sports
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women's sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an "obligation to comply" with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. The new policy, announced Monday with a quiet change on the USOPC's website and confirmed in a letter sent to national sport governing bodies, follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year. The USOPC change is noted obliquely as a detail under "USOPC Athlete Safety Policy" and references Trump's executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to "rescind all funds" from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women's sports. U.S. Olympic officials told the national governing bodies they will need to follow suit, adding that "the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" since Trump signed the 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." The National Women's Law Center put out a statement condemning the move. "By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes," said that organization's president and CEO, Fatima Goss Graves. The USOPC oversees around 50 national governing bodies, most of which play a role in everything from the grassroots to elite levels of their sports. That raises the possibility that rules might need to be changed at local sports clubs to retain their memberships in the NGBs. Some of those organizations — for instance, USA Track and Field — have long followed guidelines set by their own world federation. World Athletics is considering changes to its policies that would mostly fall in line with Trump's order. A USA Swimming spokesman said the federation had been made aware of the USOPC's change and was consulting with the committee to figure out what changes it needs to make. USA Fencing changed its policy effective Aug. 1 to allow only "athletes who are of the female sex" in women's competition and opening men's events to "all athletes not eligible for the women's category, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary and intersex athletes and cisgender male athletes." Critics call policies discriminatory The nationwide battle over transgender girls on girls' and women's sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans portray the issue as a fight for athletic fairness. More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court after critics challenged the policies as discriminatory, cruel and unnecessarily target a tiny niche of athletes. The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to limit competition in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth. That change came a day after Trump signed the executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. Female eligibility is a key issue for the International Olympic Committee under its new president, Kirsty Coventry, who has signaled an effort to "protect the female category." The IOC has allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics — and some have already taken steps on the topic. Stricter rules on transgender athletes — barring from women's events anyone who went through male puberty — have been passed by swimming, cycling and track and field. Soccer is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and could set limits on testosterone.
National Post
a day ago
- Politics
- National Post
U.S. Olympic officials bar transgender women from competing in women's sports
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women's sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an 'obligation to comply' with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. Article content The new policy, announced Monday with a quiet change on the USOPC's website and confirmed in a letter sent to national sport governing bodies, follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year. Article content Article content The USOPC change is noted obliquely as a detail under 'USOPC Athlete Safety Policy' and references Trump's executive order, 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to 'rescind all funds' from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women's sports. Article content U.S. Olympic officials told the national governing bodies they will need to follow suit, adding that 'the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials' since Trump signed the order. Article content '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.' Article content The National Women's Law Center put out a statement condemning the move. Article content Article content 'By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes,' said that organization's president and CEO, Fatima Goss Graves. Article content The USOPC oversees around 50 national governing bodies, most of which play a role in everything from the grassroots to elite levels of their sports. That raises the possibility that rules might need to be changed at local sports clubs to retain their memberships in the NGBs. Article content Some of those organizations — for instance, USA Track and Field — have long followed guidelines set by their own world federation. World Athletics is considering changes to its policies that would mostly fall in line with Trump's order. Article content A USA Swimming spokesman said the federation had been made aware of the USOPC's change and was consulting with the committee to figure out what changes it needs to make. USA Fencing changed its policy effective Aug. 1 to allow only 'athletes who are of the female sex' in women's competition and opening men's events to 'all athletes not eligible for the women's category, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary and intersex athletes and cisgender male athletes.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee will comply with Trump's ban on trans women in women's sports
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee will enforce President Trump 's ban on transgender women competing in women's sports. The updated 27-page document titled 'U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Policy' was published Friday and appeared on the USOPC 's website Monday and failed to make any reference to the word 'transgender.' USOPC officials said that they were 'committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport' by complying with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act. The update would 'ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment,' it stated. Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order was published in February. Since then, the president has continued to slam numerous transgender athletes competing in the U.S. At the time of signing the order, he defended the order as a means to ending 'the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women's sports' and pledged to take 'immediate action' against schools and associations that 'denied women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms,' according to a White House document shared with The Independent. Moreover, a letter from CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes, requested by CNN, revealed that the USOPC had 'engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials' since Trump issued the order. Adding, 'As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations.' The committee said that the changes align with the Ted Stevens Act, which 'reinforces [their] mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness.' Ted Stevens, a U.S Senator for over 40 years, signed the Amateur Sports Act in 1978 to establish the U.S. Olympic Committee and National Governing Bodies for each Olympic sport. Twenty years later, it was revised to reflect that amateurism was no longer a requirement of the Olympics and to include the Paralympics. All governing bodies must now obey the USOPC's new guidance, which is now highlighted at the top of the USOPC webpage on 'Transgender Athlete Participation in Sport.' Previously, the organization had sought 'to rely on real data and science-based evidence rather than ideology' in determining the eligibility of transgender athletes. It stressed that they made 'science‑based decisions, sport by sport and discipline by discipline.' The stance of not recognising transgender athletes in women's sports has long been peddled by Trump and MAGA during his time in office and before, during his presidential race. In June, he made a remark on the matter while male players from Italian soccer giants Juventus stood behind him, posing for photos as part of their Club World Cup tour. He has also honed in on several specific cases across the U.S., including launching an investigation into a Connecticut school system over its transgender athletic policy. In March, the president launched a broadside against Maine's Governor Janet Mills for refusing to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's sports, threatening, 'You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't.'
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
US Olympic policy change bans transgender women in women's events
US Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland was among those who sent a letter to national governing bodies indicating US transgender women could no longer compete in women's Olympic and Paralympic events American transgender women will no longer be able to compete in women's events at the Olympics and Paralympics after a recent policy change by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). A new note on the USOPC website regarding the participation of transgender athletes in sports says: "As of July 21, 2025, please refer to the USOPC athlete safety policy." The policy update, following US President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order, was added to the USOPC Athlete Safety Policy on its website as a new subsection entitled "Additional Requirements." "The USOPC is committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport," the addition reads. "The 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 (Trump's order) and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act." The Stevens Act, adopted in 1988, provides a means of handling eligibility disputes for Olympic sports and other amateur events. A memo to Team USA from USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland and president Gene Sykes on Tuesday obtained by ABC News and ESPN made reference to Trump's February executive order, saying: "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations." Trump's executive order threatens to remove federal funds from any school or institution allowing transgender girls to play on girls' teams, claiming that would violate Title IX rules giving US women equal sport opportunities. The order requires immediate enforcement against institutions that deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms. "Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women," ESPN quoted the USOPC letter to governing bodies as saying. "All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment." ESPN also said the officials noted the USOPC "has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" in the wake of Trump's executive order. The move comes as Los Angeles awaits a host role for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) also altered its policy for transgender athlete participation to limit women's sports competitors to athletes assigned female at birth after Trump's executive order. © 2025 AFP
