The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) will implement, starting July 21, 2025, a new policy that bans the participation of transgender athletes in women’s categories, following President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The decision was briefly announced in an official 27-page document on athlete safety, without explicitly mentioning trans individuals but making it clear that all national sports bodies must comply with this new federal regulation.
The change represents a drastic shift by the USOPC, which in recent years had avoided taking firm stances on the issue, relying instead on international competitions to define eligibility criteria. However, under political pressure from the Republican administration and the reinforcement of policies based on Title IX, the organization conceded to align with the White House, justifying its measure as a way to “ensure a fair competition environment for women.”
U.S. sports align with the conservative agenda
Under the new political landscape, the USOPC announced it will work with the IOC, the IPC, and national sports bodies to adjust their rules in line with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Act. In an internal memo, President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland explained that the organization is legally obligated to meet the new federal expectations. They also emphasized that governing bodies must update their policies to avoid sanctions and loss of funding, especially as major events like the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the Salt Lake City 2034 Winter Games approach.
The impact of this policy goes beyond sports. At the state level, the Department of Justice has taken action against California, challenging the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s teams and threatening to withhold federal education funds. At the same time, the Supreme Court upheld restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, fueling a hostile legal climate for trans people. Meanwhile, Kirsty Coventry, the new president of the IOC, is preparing a meeting with Trump to address these tensions, in a context where the Olympic Charter’s principle of non-discrimination seems increasingly distant from the current U.S. political reality.
