The NCAA announced an update to its participation policy for transgender student-athletes, aligning with the executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
The executive order instructs the Department of Justice to enforce a ban on those assigned male at birth from competing in female sports categories. Schools that fail to comply with the order may face the loss of federal funding and potential legal action.
RELATED STORY | Trump signs order restricting transgender women from competing in female sports
Under the NCAA's revised policy, the women's category is now restricted to those assigned female at birth. However, the men's category remains open to all eligible student-athletes.
The NCAA stated that the new policy takes effect immediately and applies to all student-athletes, regardless of previous eligibility reviews under the NCAA's former transgender participation policy.
"The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard," NCAA President Charlie Baker said.
RELATED STORY | Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19
The updated policy permits student-athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women's teams, but they are not allowed to compete in NCAA women’s sports.
The policy also gives individual schools the discretion to make their own decisions regarding athletic participation on their campuses, as long as they comply with local, state and federal legislation.
Sports with mixed championships, such as rifle, are not affected by the new NCAA policy.
During a congressional hearing in December, NCAA President Baker stated that out of more than 510,000 athletes competing in NCAA sports, fewer than 10 are transgender.
