COMPLIANCE

U.S. Olympic Committee Outlines New Ban Under Trump Order

Officials said they had an “obligation to comply with federal expectations.”

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, in compliance with an executive order from President Donald Trump. The policy change was announced Tuesday, and national sport governing bodies were instructed by U.S. Olympic officials to follow suit. “As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter obtained by the Associated Press. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment.” It comes after Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” in February as part of his administration’s wider push to target trans people and restrict their participation in athletics at all levels.