The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has announced a new policy banning transgender women from participating in women’s events at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The decision, updated on the USOPC’s website and confirmed in a letter to national sport governing bodies, mandates compliance with an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump earlier this year titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”.
The ban applies to all Olympic and Paralympic sports overseen by the USOPC, including athletics, swimming, and gymnastics, raising concerns about its impact extending to grassroots levels.
USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes emphasized their organization’s legal obligations in a memo to the Team USA community.
They wrote, “As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations.” The revised policy stresses the importance of maintaining “fair and safe competition environments.”
The executive order, issued by Trump in February, mandates strict enforcement of single-sex participation in sports and threatens to withdraw federal funding from organizations that fail to comply.
Since the announcement, the USOPC has reportedly engaged in “respectful and constructive conversations” with federal officials on the matter.
The committee’s updated stance follows a similar move earlier this year by the NCAA, which now restricts eligibility in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth.
Critics have condemned the USOPC’s decision as politically motivated and harmful to transgender athletes.
Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center, condemned the move, stating, “By giving in to political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes.”
Advocates argue the policy excludes transgender athletes from competing fairly while undermining inclusion and diversity principles in sport.
With the 2028 Summer Olympics scheduled to be held in Los Angeles, this policy shift marks a significant development in U.S. Olympic sport governance.
While no openly transgender woman has yet competed in the Olympics for the U.S., the policy signals a heightened regulatory environment concerning gender participation.
The USOPC states it will continue collaborating with international stakeholders such as the International Olympic Committee to oversee fair competition rules while balancing inclusion and competitive equity.
