US Olympic Committee revises guidelines to exclude transgender women

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its Athlete Safety Policy to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports. The 27-page document, dated June 18, was quietly posted online this, according to a report from NBC News. Although the document not explicitly mention transgender athletes, it states the USOPC will “ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201,” known as Trump’s “No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order.” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes confirmed the policy shift in a letter to Team USA, emphasizing the organization’s legal obligation to follow federal directives and align with the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act. The updated guidelines require all national governing bodies under the USOPC to revise their own policies accordingly. It remains unclear whether any athletes will be disqualified from the 2028 Olympics under the new rules. The change has renewed focus on transgender inclusion in sports. No transgender woman has ever medaled at the Olympics. Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand, the first openly transgender woman to compete, did not place in weightlifting at the Tokyo 2020 Games. American middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz, who is nonbinary and was assigned female at birth, is not expected to be affected. Hiltz placed seventh in the women’s 1,500-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The post US Olympic Committee revises guidelines to exclude transgender women appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.