Latest news with #TedStevensOlympic&AmateurSportsAct
Time of India
2 days ago
- 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!
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.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
US Olympic & Paralympic Committee bars transgender women from competing in women's sports
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its policy to align with an executive order signed earlier this year by U.S. President Donald Trump barring transgender women from competing in women's sports. '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 USOPC said in an update to its Athlete Safety Policy. The USOPC did not respond to a request for comment on the change. USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland referenced Trump's executive order in a memo to the Team USA community sent out this week, ABC News reported, which said, 'As a federally chartered organisation, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations.' ALSO READ: Janeth Chepngetich books World Athletics Championships spot after winning women's 10,000m at Kenya trials Trump signed the 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' order in February in a bid to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports, a directive that supporters said will restore fairness, but critics argue it infringes on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes. The order directs the Department of Justice to make sure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump's interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education. Trump's order goes beyond high school and college sports, calling for the U.S. government to deny visas for transgender females seeking to compete in the United States. Trump also said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The executive order instructed the State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance, preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage. The order is expected to affect only a small number of athletes. The president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association told a Senate panel in December he was aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes among the 530,000 competing at 1,100 member schools.
GMA Network
23-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
US Olympic & Paralympic Committee bars transgender women from competing in women's sports
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its policy to align with an executive order signed earlier this year by US President Donald Trump barring transgender women from competing in women's sports. "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 USOPC said in an update to its Athlete Safety Policy. The USOPC did not respond to a request for comment on the change. USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland referenced Trump's executive order in a memo to the Team USA community sent out this week, ABC News reported, which said, "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations." Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" order in February in a bid to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports, a directive that supporters said will restore fairness but critics argue it infringes on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes. The order directs the Department of Justice to make sure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump's interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education. Trump's order goes beyond high school and college sports, calling for the US government to deny visas for transgender females seeking to compete in the United States. Trump also said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The executive order instructed the State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage. The order is expected to affect only a small number of athletes. The president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association told a Senate panel in December he was aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes among the 530,000 competing at 1,100 member schools. —Reuters
The Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Olympics-US Olympic & Paralympic Committee bars transgender women from competing in women's sports
FILE PHOTO: Workers pack up a space used for a press conference held by the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo (Reuters) -The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its policy to align with an executive order signed earlier this year by U.S. President Donald Trump barring transgender women from competing in women's sports. "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 USOPC said in an update to its Athlete Safety Policy. The USOPC did not respond to a request for comment on the change. USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland referenced Trump's executive order in a memo to the Team USA community sent out this week, ABC News reported, which said, "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations." Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" order in February in a bid to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports, a directive that supporters said will restore fairness but critics argue it infringes on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes. The order directs the Department of Justice to make sure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump's interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education. Trump's order goes beyond high school and college sports, calling for the U.S. government to deny visas for transgender females seeking to compete in the United States. Trump also said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The executive order instructed the State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage. The order is expected to affect only a small number of athletes. The president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association told a Senate panel in December he was aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes among the 530,000 competing at 1,100 member schools. (Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese)
