Overview

• The USOPC revised its Athlete Safety Policy on July 21 to comply with Executive Order 14201 by banning transgender women from women’s competitions without explicitly using the term “transgender.”
• USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland cited their federal charter under the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act as the basis for enforcing the presidential directive.
• All national governing bodies have been instructed to align their eligibility rules immediately, creating a uniform standard across U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sports.
• The policy offers no details on how the ban will be enforced or which athletes might be directly affected, leaving eligibility questions unresolved ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
• USA Fencing has already set an August 1 rule that limits transgender women, nonbinary athletes, transgender men and intersex competitors to men’s events.