The US governing body for university sports updates will update its policy in line with Donald Trump’s executive order on women’s sports.
Transgender girls and women will no longer compete in women’s events at most university sports events in the United States after the governing body’s decision to ban male-born athletes.
The National Association of University Athletics, the leading governing body for university sports in the United States, said Thursday it would limit women’s sports and women’s sports competition to only female-born athletes.
The NCAA announcement comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order the day before to deny funding to educational institutions that allow trans girls and women to compete in women’s sports.
“The NCAA is an organization of 1,100 universities from all 50 states that collectively register more than 50,000 student-athletes, NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement.
“To that end, President Trump’s orders provide clear national standards.”
Baker said the change reflects the body’s commitment to “protect, support and strengthen the mental and physical health of student-athletes.”
“This national standard brings much needed clarity to modernize university sports for today’s student-athletes,” he said.
The NCAA is the largest governing body for university sports in the United States, with over half a million student-athletes taking part in the event each year.
Other major umbrella organizations, such as the National Intercollegiate Athletics Association (NAIA) and the National Junior and Senior Arts Association (NJCAA), oversee the competition of less than 100,000 competitors per year.
Trans women’s participation in sports became a political lightning bolt in the United States. LGBT rights supporters have argued that their participation is unfair for girls and women, seeking greater inclusion from trans athletes and critics.
Opinion polls point to growing public opposition to trans women competing with female-born athletes amid famous controversy involving the participation of athletes such as university swimmer Leah Thomas.
Born as a man and began hormone replacement therapy in her late teens, Thomas was banned from women’s events by World Aquatics after winning the NCAA Division I National Championship in 2022.
Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer who took part in the lawsuit against the NCAA over her decision to allow Thomas to attend women’s events, welcomed the announcement of the sports body.
“I can’t even tell you what I feel I know and know I don’t have to go through what I did with my teammates,” Gaines said in X.
After signing four executive orders directed at trans people, Trump repeatedly criticised efforts to incorporate LGBTQ in sports and other regions during his campaign.
At the signing ceremony for the executive order in Women’s Sports on Wednesday, Trump said his administration “can’t see men beat or hit female athletes.”
The LGBTQ advocacy organization has widely accused Trump’s orders of discriminatory discrimination, which are not based on facts.
“This day is likely to occur for a long time as this administration continues to pursue simple solutions to complex problems and often brings animus towards our country’s most marginalized communities. I knew that,” Athlete Ally said in a statement Wednesday that LGBTQI sports people.
“In spite of this executive order, we continue to choose love, acceptance and curiosity for those interested in creating a future for sports that everyone belongs to.”
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