The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its policy guidelines to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
In a statement released this week, the USOPC said it will “continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities—e.g., the IOC, IPC, and National Governing Bodies—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 White House has not yet commented on the USOPC’s move, despite a request for a response from Newsweek.
Executive Order 14201: The Context
Signed on February 5, Executive Order 14201, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” mandates that women’s athletic competitions be reserved for “biological females.” The order warns that any organization allowing transgender women to compete in women’s categories risks losing federal funding.
The executive order is part of a broader policy platform from President Trump, which includes banning transgender individuals from military service, requiring that passport gender markers reflect sex assigned at birth, and transferring transgender women in federal prisons to male facilities.
What the USOPC Said
The USOPC confirmed to The New York Times that its policy had been officially revised following “respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials.” The committee emphasized that, as a federally chartered body, it is required to comply with federal mandates.
The new policy follows similar recent actions by other sports organizations. Earlier this year, the NCAA implemented a policy limiting women’s sports participation to those assigned female at birth. U.S.A. Fencing also recently updated its guidelines: while transgender women can still compete, they must do so in the men’s category. Nonbinary, transgender men, and intersex athletes must also compete in the men’s division starting August 1.
Reactions and Fallout
The move has sparked backlash from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. Critics argue that the changes marginalize transgender athletes and could endanger transgender individuals in other areas of life, such as the prison system.
The National Women’s Law Center condemned the USOPC’s decision, with President Fatima Goss Graves stating, “By giving into political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes.”
On the other hand, conservative commentators and some lawmakers have applauded the move. New Hampshire State Rep. Lisa Mazur posted on X: “The Olympics just banned biological men from competing against women. Keep them coming!”
OutKick founder and Trump supporter Clay Travis called it a “big win for sanity,” citing Trump’s executive order as the direct reason for the shift.
What’s Next
“All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment,” USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland wrote in a letter to member organizations. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women.”
With more than two dozen states already passing similar laws at the local level—and several ongoing legal challenges—President Trump’s executive order continues to ripple across sports, government policy, and civil rights debates nationwide.
