By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
In recent months, the national governing bodies (NGBs) for several U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sports have taken steps to change their gender eligibility policies following the executive order that President Donald Trump signed at the beginning of the year.
The order, which is based on the premise of guaranteeing fair competition in women’s sports, has already led to rule changes in volleyball and fencing, and several more Olympic sports are expected to follow in the coming months.
In July, the U.S. The Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) made headlines when it announced a change to its Athlete Safety Policy. The USOPC updated its Athlete Safety Policy, adding a paragraph mentioning that it will “collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC (International Olympic Committee), IPC (International Paralympic Committee), NGBs (National Governing Bodies), to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201.”
In March, USA Volleyball updated its transgender and intersex policy to be in line with the order. In a statement, the organization cited a desire to “bring people together and to create a sense of belonging.”
Here is the statement from USA Volleyball:
At USA Volleyball, we believe in the power of sport to bring people together and to create a sense of belonging. We are proud to support a diverse volleyball community that includes many LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches, and fans.
In accordance with a federal executive order and requirements from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, USA Volleyball is implementing an updated Gender Competition Policy, effective immediately. This policy requires athletes to compete in the gender that matches the sex assigned at birth, as listed on their birth certificate.
We understand this update may affect members of our community in deeply personal ways. While we are following a federal mandate, our commitment to inclusion, safety, and dignity for every athlete remains unwavering. Discrimination or harassment or exclusion of any kind has no place in our sport.
USA Fencing was not far behind in updating its policy to comply with Executive Order 14201.
The response to the change was immediate. Carl Charles with Lambda Legal, a senior attorney who has worked on a variety of cases involving the civil rights protection of transgender people, had the following to say regarding the compliance with the new policy:
“It is disappointing to see yet another entity, in this case the governing body of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, engage in pre-emptive compliance with the discriminatory orders issuing forth ad infinitum from the Trump administration, with no serious consideration of the science or the impact on the targeted communities.”
Fatima Goss Graves, the President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, was even more direct, making the following statement in a press release:
“By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes. The vagueness of the Committee’s policy will leave athletes unprotected from humiliating sex-testing practices.”
USA Swimming has not yet changed its policy to comply with President Trump’s order at the time of publication.
As Olympic hopefuls look ahead to the Los Angeles Games in 2028, the long-term outcomes of these rule changes for U.S. athletes and U.S. sports remain to be seen.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Committees Complying with Trump’s Orders Met with Heavy Criticism