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≡ IOC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ≡
There are lots of people closely watching next week’s election of the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee. Add 28 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Fox News Digital reported Tuesday on a letter sent by 28 Republican Representatives and Senators to the IOC (and all seven Presidential candidates), led by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Congressman Burgess Owens (R-Utah), which included:
● “The United States looks forward to hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and to welcoming the accomplished athletes who have worked and sacrificed to reach the pinnacle of their respective sports. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prepares to elect new leadership, we write to express the critical need for increased protection of the rights of female athletes to fair, safe competition.”
● “In the United States, we honor our female Olympians. These athletes, and so many others, have inspired generations of young women around the world to compete and excel. Their legacy underscores the vital importance of fairness in women’s sports at every level of competition. Future Olympians are counting on the IOC to protect the opportunities of women and girls to contribute to this proud tradition.”
● “To do so, the IOC must base eligibility for women’s athletic competitions on biological sex. Allowing biological males to compete in women’s categories undermines competitive opportunities, safety, and respect for female athletes.”
● “In preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics, commitment from the IOC to protect women’s sports is paramount. As members of Congress, we stand united with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President [Donald] Trump in calling on the IOC to amend its standards and safeguard the opportunities of female athletes on the Olympic stage.”
● “The Olympic Games should be a model for integrity in sports, and the next IOC president must firmly defend the rights of dedicated female athletes. We look forward to your leadership on this critical issue and demand that the next IOC president preserve the fundamental principles of fair competition.”
Fox News Digital listed, in addition to Risch, Republican Senators Mike Crapo, Jim Banks, Marsha Blackburn, Steve Daines, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Jim Justice, James Lankford, Tim Sheehy and Tommy Tuberville as signatories to the letter.
In addition to Owens, Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert, Vern Buchanan, Tim Burchett, Kat Cammack, Dan Crenshaw, Brad Finstad, Craig Goldman, Mark Green, Ashley Hinson, Mike Kennedy, Nick LaLota, Blake Moore, Riley Moore, Austin Pfluger, John Rose and Claudia Tenney also signed.
Clear reference was made U.S. President Trump’s Executive Order of 5 February, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” which included:
● “[I]t is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”
● “The Secretary of State shall use all appropriate and available measures to see that the International Olympic Committee amends the standards governing Olympic sporting events to promote fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.”
The IOC’s current policy, expressed in the November 2021 “Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations” provided guidelines, but no hard rules on the questions of transgenders or women with hyperandrogenism. Specifics were left up to each International Federation, and while the IFs in aquatics, athletics, cycling, rowing, tennis and others have taken strict measures, some have done nothing. Equestrian competitions are open with riders allowed to be either male or female.
The IOC’s Presidential election comes on Thursday, 20 March, at the 144th IOC Session in Greece, with the Risch-Owens letter likely to have no impact at all. However, the next IOC President – to take over on 24 June – will have to deal with the issue, and with the Trump Administration.
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