The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's sweeping decision on transgender women heading into Los Angeles 2028

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee immediately banned transgender women from competing in women's sports and informed the federations that oversee swimming , track and field and other sports that they have an "obligation to comply" with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump .

The change was announced Monday with a discreet change on the USOPC website and confirmed in a letter sent to national governing bodies. This is the second ban on transgender athletes, following the NCAA's decision earlier this year .

The USOPC's change is indirectly mentioned as a detail under the "USOPC Athlete Safety Policy" and refers to Trump's executive order to "keep men out of women's sports," signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to "withdraw all funding" from organizations that allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports .

U.S. Olympic officials told national governing bodies they should follow suit, adding that “the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” since Trump signed the order.

“As a federal organization, we have an obligation to meet federal expectations,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. “Our policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. All national governing bodies should update their applicable policies accordingly.”

The nationwide battle over transgender women on women's sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels, as Republicans frame the issue as a fight for athletic equity . More than two dozen states have enacted laws banning transgender women and girls from certain athletic competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court by those who say the policies are discriminatory, cruel, and unnecessarily target a small niche of athletes.

The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to limit competition in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth. This change came one day after Trump signed the executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports.

Women's eligibility is a key issue for the International Olympic Committee under its new president, Kirsty Coventry . The IOC has allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics , and some have already taken action.

Swimming , cycling , and track and field federations have passed stricter rules on transgender athletes , banning anyone who has gone through male puberty from participating in women's events. Soccer is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and may set testosterone limits .

Trump has said he wants the IOC to change everything "that has to do with this absolutely ridiculous issue." Los Angeles will host the Olympics in 2028 .