Trump said Wednesday during a signing ceremony for an executive order aimed at banning male athletes from women's sports that his administration wants the IOC to “change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject" ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
The order empowers the Secretary of State's office to pressure the IOC to amend standards governing Olympic sporting events “to promote fairness, safety and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.”
The order also calls for the Secretary of State and the Department of Homeland Security to “review and adjust, as needed, policies permitting admission to the United States of males seeking to participate in women’s sports.”
The IOC has largely stayed out of the discussion around transgender athletes, letting the international governing bodies for each sport set the parameters for gender participation.
The rules can run the gamut. Entities like World Aquatics have very strict guidelines, while World Triathlon rules are more liberal.
Outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach said in December that Olympic organizers were “very confident” they could work with the Trump administration. The president initially backed Los Angeles during his first administration when the city bid for the 2024 Games that were awarded to Paris.
The IOC's stance could change considerably in the near future following Bach's retirement. Among the candidates to replace Bach is former track star Sebastian Coe, now the leader of World Athletics. Coe has been a strong proponent of limiting participation in female sports to women.
Two years ago, track and field under Coe banned male athletes from international competition — adopting the same rules as swimming.
