The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has banned transgender athletes from competing in categories for women’s sports. The topic has been under a lot of contention over the last few months. Keep reading to know more about this behavior.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has now banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. This Monday, the committee updated their Athlete Safety Policy on their website in a document dated from last month.
While the update came from them, the USOPC did not publicize it, and it reads that trans athletes will be banned from participating 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,” it reads.
In February this year, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order 14201 which was titled, ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.’
The policy reads that allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s categories is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous” and denies cis-women and girls, “the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”
“It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth,” the order went on. However, it is not clear that whether the policy will be enforced before the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Anegeles.
So far, no athletes have won an Olympic medal while competing as openly trans in a women’s sports category. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and USOPC President Gene Sykes confirmed the change to the policy.
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” they wrote in a letter obtained by the media. What are your thoughts on this new update? Let us know in the comments section on Facebook.
