It has been nearly seven months since President Trump declared the “war on women’s sports is over” after signing an executive order banning men from competing in female competitions at federally funded schools. Since then, a plethora of victories have been won: the NCAA abandoned its “transgender athlete” policy, and dozens of colleges and universities fell in line; trophies and records were stripped from biological men who unfairly competed in female categories; and 27 states established bans on biological boys competing against teenage girls. In July, perhaps the greatest giant of athletics was finally brought to heel – the Olympics.
After facing months of pressure, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced an official policy change in late July that will impact the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The decision came after “a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials.”
“The new policy, expressed in a short, vaguely worded paragraph, is tucked under the category of ‘USOPC Athlete Safety Policy’ on the site, and does not include details of how the ban will work. Nor does the new policy include the word ‘transgender’ or the title of Mr. Trump’s executive order, ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’ referring to it instead as ‘Executive Order 14201,’” the New York Times reported.
Clearly, this is not a decision the USOPC would have made without pressure from the Trump administration.
The USOPC’s guidelines regulate not only the Olympics, but dozens of national governing bodies (NGBs) of sports federations. All NGBs are required to update their policies in accordance with USOPC standards – and many are none too thrilled about the recent change.
“I’m not going to try to oppose the U.S.O.P.C. because I understand that they’ve been put in an impossible situation by the administration,” Chief Executive of U.S.A. Fencing Phil Andrews stated. “We essentially have no choice but to change the rules because once the U.S.O.P.C. says, ‘This is now the policy of all of our N.G.B.s,’ we all have to follow it.”
Over 75% of American adults do not believe biological men should be allowed to compete against female athletes. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the 2028 Olympics will now reflect biological truth and the views of the vast majority of Americans.
The good news doesn’t end there. Shortly after the USOPC’s policy change, World Athletics reported one of their own – but they went a step above and beyond. Beginning in September, all athletes registered as female will be required to undergo a one-time genetic test to ensure they are biologically female. The organization explained the new process:
All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene – a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. This is to be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.
The SRY gene test is well known for its reliability and accuracy. We applaud World Athletics for its commitment to transparency and fairness in women’s sports. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe shared an incredible statement following the announcement:
The philosophy that we hold dear in World Athletics is the protection and the promotion of the integrity of women’s sport. It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling. The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case. We are saying, at [the] elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology.
Finally, an organization that gets it.
There is still work to be done on the women’s sports front, especially in blue states. But with the Olympics and World Athletics’ new policies, we are one step closer to the war on women’s sports truly being over.
