The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has revised its policies to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
The policy change appears in an updated version of the USOPC’s “Athlete Safety Policy,” dated June 18 and quietly posted on its website Monday. The 27-page document does not use the word “transgender” but includes a statement that the committee will adhere to Trump’s directive.
“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 document reads.
Executive Order 14201, often referred to as the “No Men in Women’s Sports” order, was issued by Trump earlier this year.
In a letter to the Team USA community obtained by NBC News, USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes addressed the update, stating:
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations. The guidance we’ve received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness.”
The revised policy directs all national governing bodies to adjust their own rules accordingly and stresses the importance of fair and safe competition for women.
It remains uncertain whether the updated policy will result in any athletes being barred from the 2028 Olympic Games.
American middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as nonbinary and was assigned female at birth, would likely not be affected. Hiltz placed seventh in the women’s 1,500-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
No openly transgender woman has ever won an Olympic medal. Caitlyn Jenner, who came out as transgender years after earning gold in the men’s decathlon in 1976, competed before transitioning. The first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympics was New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who did not medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The participation of transgender athletes has become a contentious issue in recent years, with particular attention on trans women and girls. Critics argue that individuals assigned male at birth may retain physical advantages in women’s sports.
However, transgender athletes represent a small fraction of the athletic community. NCAA President Charlie Baker told a Senate panel in January that fewer than 10 transgender athletes are competing among the organization’s 544,000 student-athletes.
In response to growing restrictions, more than 400 athletes signed a letter last year urging the NCAA to support transgender inclusion in sports.
“Allowing transgender athletes to compete as their authentic selves honors the true spirit of Olympism,” the letter stated, also warning that anti-trans policies are “largely fueled by propaganda and deception” rather than concern for competitive fairness. It referenced a Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport study which found that transgender women who undergo testosterone suppression have no significant biological advantage over cisgender women in elite competition.
Transgender athletes are already subject to hormone level requirements. CeCe Telfer, a transgender runner, was ruled ineligible for the 400-meter hurdles in Paris last year for not meeting testosterone standards.
Since returning to office in 2025, Trump’s administration has enacted multiple policies affecting transgender Americans, including bans on transgender girls and women in female sports, new passport requirements based on sex assigned at birth, and policies moving transgender women in federal prisons to male facilities. The administration has also reinstated a ban on transgender people serving in the military, forcing many to exit despite their training and experience.
