(CNN) — The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has pledged to follow a Trump administration order by banning transgender women athletes in an update to its athlete safety policy – falling in line with other groups that have banned transgender women from sports competition in the women’s category.
Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order was issued in February. The New York Times was first to report the change.
The USOPC athlete safety policy, which does not directly reference the word “transgender” in the 27-page document, now features an ambiguously worded paragraph referring to Trump’s executive order from February.
The new language reads: “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., IOC, IPC, NGBs, 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.”
In response to a request for more information on the policy change, the USOPC provided CNN with a letter from CEO Sarah Hirshland and president Gene Sykes, which was sent to the governing body’s community of shareholders on Tuesday.
In the letter, the USOPC says it “has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” since the issuance of Executive Order 14201.
“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” the letter stated.
“The guidance we’ve received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness.”
The letter goes on to specify that the national governing bodies of sports in the United States must obey the USOPC’s new guidance.
The webpage for the USOPC’s transgender athlete policy, updated on Monday, contains a new line of text at the top of the page reading, “As of July 21, 2025, please refer to the USOPC athlete safety policy.”
The previous policy language still resides on the webpage, where the organization’s prior stance had been “to rely on real data and science-based evidence rather than ideology” in determining the eligibility of transgender athletes.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the impact of President Trump’s executive order. His order aims to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
The-CNN-Wire
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