The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has officially updated its athlete policy to ban men from competing in women’s sports, marking a significant victory for President Donald Trump and conservative efforts to protect female athletics.
The change came quietly on Monday through a revised Athlete Safety Policy that now complies with Trump’s Executive Order 14201 — titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” — which the president signed on February 5. Though the updated document does not explicitly mention the word “transgender,” the committee confirmed the new policy bars men from entering women’s competition categories.
“The Committee is committed to providing a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act,” the USOPC stated. Officials noted the changes followed “respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” in the wake of Trump’s order.
The move is expected to affect qualification standards for upcoming Olympic events, especially as the 2028 Summer Olympics are set to take place on American soil under Trump’s second term.
This shift is seen as a direct response to international controversy, particularly over the 2024 Paris Games. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who reportedly failed gender verification testing, dominated the women’s welterweight division and took gold — sparking global backlash. Similar outrage followed New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard competing in women’s weightlifting at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Though the policy applies only to U.S. athletes, the committee indicated it would work with international bodies, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to promote women’s safety and fairness in global competition. Whether other nations will follow America’s lead remains to be seen.
Polling suggests overwhelming support for the change. A recent NBC News survey found that 75% of Americans oppose trans-identifying males competing in women’s sports — including two-thirds of Gen Z voters.
President Trump has made defending women’s sports a central theme of his administration, and the Olympic Committee’s move signals growing institutional alignment with that agenda.