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≡ TRANSGENDER POLICY ≡
The back story on how the USOPC decided to change its stance on transgender participation in women’s events is now becoming a little clearer.
On 17 April, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland told reporters during a telephonic news conference:
“Predominantly, [it’s] important to recognize that the USOPC does not define eligibility criteria for events that are not our jurisdiction. So, typically speaking, at an international level, the International Federations will define eligibility criteria for the events in which they own jurisdiction, World Cups, World Championships, etc., and the National Governing Bodies, domestically, would define eligibility criteria for their events. In some cases, those may be elite-level events, national championships and things; in other cases, those may be lower-level, grass-roots, youth-sport competitions and things of that nature.
“So, we do not have, nor will we have an eligibility policy. It wouldn’t be appropriate, it’s not our role to take on that position.”
In the succeeding weeks, however, Hirshland and USOPC President Gene Sykes talked with multiple heads of the U.S. National Governing Bodies, including NGB Council head Brendan Quick of USA Cycling, about their views on the transgender eligibility question and whether the USOPC should take a position.
The Sports Examiner was told that a clear majority preferred that the USOPC should take a position, protecting the female category. The end result was a change to the USOPC’s Athlete Safety Policy, which was communicated to the chief executives, Board Chairs and counsels of most of the National Governing Bodies during a Friday, 18 July conference call with USOPC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Holly Shick, and Chief External Affairs Officer Kate Hartman.
The new policy would be live as of Monday, 21 July, which included an added section 3.3:
“The USOPC is committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport. The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., [International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, 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, 36 U.S.C § 22501, et. seq.”
(Executive Order 14201 is the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” order issued by Pres. Donald Trump on 5 February 2025.)
As written, the new section effectively bars transgender women from participation in the women’s division of sports overseen by the USOPC, including the National Governing Bodies.
USA Fencing, which had a policy-in-waiting on this issue, posted a notice of compliance and a change to its transgender policy on 18 July – after the USOPC conference call – effective as of 1 August 2025.
The USOPC made no public announcement of the change, but The New York Times was told by several NGB heads about the new policy and it broke the story nationally on Tuesday, 22 July. The Times’ story noted that the USOPC had had discussions with Trump Administration officials about the Executive Order and compliance.
All of this comes in advance of a review program to be instituted by the International Olympic Committee, with President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) promising during her campaign to, as she said, “protect the female category.” She told reporters in a 26 June news conference that during the IOC member forum she convened at the time of her inauguration in June:
“There was an overwhelming support … that we should protect the female category.
“And with that, we are going to … not revisit, that we’re going to set up a working group, made up of experts and International Federations. It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this, and that we should be the ones to bring together the experts, bring together the International Federations, and ensure that we find consensus.
“We understand that there will be differences, depending on the sport, but it was fully agreed that, as members and as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on the protection of the female category and that we should ensure that this is done in consensus with all the stakeholders.”
The USOPC will be expected to abide by that outcome as well.
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