NCAA aligns with Trump and bans biological men from participating in women's sports

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) made a crucial change to its eligibility policies, adopting a new rule banning biological men from competing in women's sports teams.

Previously, the governing body of college sports allowed biological men to compete in women's sports, but only if they met a specific requirement: having been under testosterone suppression treatment for at least one year. This rule, which had been in place since 2010, was replaced by a new policy that provides exclusive participation to biological women on women's teams. However, it still allows biological women to compete on men's teams.

The context of Trump's executive order

The change in NCAA policy comes after President Trump signed the executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," in which he also bans men who identify as transgender from participating in women's sports at colleges and universities.

NCAA statements

Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA, expressed that the organization supports the creation of nationally consistent rules that provide a unified and fair framework for all educational institutions that are part of the NCAA. In his statement, Baker said the organization is reviewing the executive order to adjust its policies accordingly and stressed that this approach clarifies the rules for student-athletes, removing the complexity of state and judicial legislation surrounding the issue.

Trump welcomes NCAA decision

Following the NCAA's announcement of its new policy, the president celebrated the change via his social media, highlighting the impact of his recent executive order. In his post, he congratulated the organization for adopting the new rule banning men from competing in women's sports.

"Exciting news! Due to my Executive Order, which I proudly signed yesterday, the NCAA has officially changed their policy of allowing men in Women’s Sports. This is a great day for women and girls across our country," the president said.

He further showed his hope that the International Olympic Committee will follow suit, stressing that the U.S. citizenry has widely endorsed the policy and has strong global support.