WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, has officially banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports, aligning with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that restricts participation in female athletics to those assigned female at birth.
The decision, announced on Thursday, marks a significant shift in the NCAA’s eligibility policy and is expected to fuel ongoing debates over fairness and inclusion in collegiate sports.
A Response to Trump’s Executive Order
The NCAA’s updated policy comes just a day after Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
The order directs federal agencies to enforce Title IX—the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools—in a way that ensures only biological females compete in women’s athletics.
“From now on, women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump said after signing the order on Wednesday.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said the change would ensure “clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards” under Trump’s directive, rather than relying on a patchwork of conflicting state laws.
What the New Policy Says
Under the revised NCAA participation rules only student-athletes assigned female at birth can compete in women’s sports; transgender athletes may practice with women’s teams and receive medical and training benefits, but they cannot compete; and schools found in violation may face federal investigations and lose funding under Title IX enforcement measures.
The NCAA Board of Governors last updated its transgender participation policy in January 2022, previously allowing a sport-by-sport approach based on guidelines from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Immediate Impact and Legal Challenges
The Education Department announced investigations into three institutions – San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association – for potential Title IX violations:
The move follows a lawsuit filed by three former swimmers at the University of Pennsylvania, who allege the NCAA and their school violated Title IX by allowing their transgender teammate, Lia Thomas, to compete against them.
Less than 1% of the U.S. population over 13 is transgender, according to a UCLA Williams Institute study, and the number competing in college sports is even smaller.
Reactions and Backlash
The decision has sparked strong reactions from both supporters and critics.
Republican Congressman Andy Ogle celebrated the NCAA’s move, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “No more biological men in women’s sports.”
However, LGBTQ+ rights groups and activists condemned the ban, calling it discriminatory.
Transgender rights activist Marcelle Afram said, “This is a blatant attack on trans rights and feeds into the culture war of anti-trans hysteria. It’s another obvious attempt to police trans bodies and further marginalize an already vulnerable community.”
Sports columnist Nancy Armour (USA Today) criticized the NCAA, stating, “The sports body has lost its common sense, along with its spine.”
What’s Next?
This policy shift is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to redefine gender in federal law.
On his first day in office, Trump signed another executive order declaring that the federal government would officially define sex as either male or female—eliminating previous legal protections for gender identity.
With legal challenges expected, the NCAA’s new policy will likely become a key battleground in the ongoing debate over transgender rights and fairness in sports.
