US Olympic Body Bain Trans Women: Trump Rules Apply; Starts on 1 August

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its rules to ban transgender women from competing in women’s Olympic Games. The change was made quietly on Monday and an executive order was followed by President Donald Trump signed in February this year.The new rule appears under the “Athlete Security Policy” section on the UsopC website. It does not directly refer to the name of “transgender” or Trump’s order – “Keeping men out of women’s game.” Instead, it refers to it as “Executive Order 14201”. No details have been shared yet how the ban will be implemented.This policy change means that all sports associations in the US, including young and amateur athletes, will now have to follow the same rule. Many Olympic Games leaders confirmed that national bodies should now follow the decision of the USOPC. According to its website, the Olympic committee has 54 member organizations.UsopC on Tuesday confirmed the change of rules in a statement. It said that it was in conversation with federal officials as the executive orders were signed. “As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to follow federal expectations,” the statement quoted the New York Times as saying. The committee also said that this will help the national sports bodies to follow the new rule.One of the sports bodies under the Olympic umbrella, USA fencing has already updated its policy. From 1 August, transgender women can no longer compete in the category of women and should involve men’s events. The same rule applies to nonbinary, transgender men and intersex athletes.The Olympic Committee stated that its purpose is “to protect opportunities for athletes” and it would coordinate with global bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee to ensure that the women’s game be “fair and safe”.So far, the UsopC had left the decisions on transgender athletes for the governing body of each game. It had earlier stated that it would rely on “real data and science” instead of ideology and this decision should be made on the basis of sports-by-game.IOC has also fought this issue for years. It currently decides how to handle transgender participation in global events to international sports bodies such as World Athletics or International Cycling Federation.