The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes on Thursday, limiting competition in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth only. The move came one day after President Trump signed an executive order intended to bar transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. The NCAA policy change is effective immediately and applies to all athletes regardless of previous eligibility reviews, the AP reports. The NCAA has some 1,100 member schools with more than 500,000 athletes, easily the largest governing body for college athletics in the US.
"We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard." The NCAA policy that went into effect in 2022 adopted a sport-by-sport approach, with transgender participation determined by the policy of the sport's national governing body. In sports with no national governing body, that sport's international federation policy would be in place. If there is no international federation policy, previously established IOC policy criteria would take over, per the AP.
Over the past year, transgender athletes have been targeted by critics who say their participation in women's sports is unfair and a potential safety risk. It became a major talking point in Trump's campaign even though the number of transgender athletes is believed to be very small; Baker last year said he knew of only 10 transgender athletes in the NCAA. The revised policy permits athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women's teams and receive benefits such as medical care. It it not uncommon, for example, for women's basketball teams to practice against male students. Regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender identity, athletes can practice and compete with a men's team assuming they meet all other NCAA eligibility requirements. However, the NCAA said an athlete assigned female at birth who has begun hormone therapy can practice with a women's team but cannot compete on a women's team without risking the team's eligibility for championships.
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