The NCAA has praised President Trump for issuing a national standard in an executive order this week
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which oversees student athletics in the US, has revised its rules regarding transgender participation to align them with stricter policies introduced by President Donald Trump.
Under the new regulations announced on Thursday, athletes assigned male at birth and female-born trans individuals undergoing hormone therapy are prohibited from joining women’s teams in the NCAA system, which includes some 1,100 colleges and universities nationwide. However, trans athletes may still practice with women’s teams, and all athletes can compete on men’s teams, provided they meet general criteria.
The NCAA had previously permitted biological men who have transitioned to compete in certain women’s sports as part of controversial rules introduced in 2022.
NCAA President Charlie Baker characterized the updated eligibility standards as “clear, consistent, and uniform,” contrasting them with the previous “patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions.” He credited Trump for providing a cohesive national policy on transgender athlete participation.
The executive order signed by the president on Wednesday bars trans women from competing in female sports and suggests that the US will seek to enforce the policy in international events hosted on American soil. The change is part of Trump’s effort to reverse policies from his predecessor, Joe Biden, which favored various minority groups and which the new administration has labeled “woke lunacy.”
Swimmer Lia Thomas is arguably the most prominent example of a trans athlete who benefited from the former NCAA rules. Initially a member of the University of Pennsylvania men’s team, she began her transition in 2019, leading to a significant rise in her national rankings after competing as a woman.
This week, three of Thomas’s former teammates filed a lawsuit against multiple entities, including the university and the NCAA, alleging psychological harm stemming from their experiences sharing a team. According to Fox News, the plaintiffs claim they faced discrimination due to institutions promoting a pro-trans ideology at the expense of female students.
