After his return to the presidency, Donald Trump has taken a stance against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) current policies on gender eligibility in sports, setting up a potential showdown with the organisation.
Throughout his campaign, Trump committed to prohibiting transgender women from competing in women’s sports, a policy he aims to enforce during his second term, which will conclude just before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Trump has openly condemned the IOC’s decision to allow Algerian boxer Imane Khelif to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics, despite her previous disqualification from a world championship for not meeting gender eligibility standards.
When Khelif achieved an opening victory at the event, Trump responded with a post stating, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!” This message became central to his campaign, though questions remain as to how federal action on this issue could affect the Los Angeles Games in California, a stronghold for Democratic policies.
Trump’s stance on gender eligibility has found considerable support among female voters. At a rally held just before Election Day, a women’s swim team from Roanoke College that had previously objected to a transgender athlete competing alongside them appeared on stage to endorse Trump.
Praising the “brave” athletes, Trump reaffirmed his stance to “Keep men out of women’s sports.” Lily Mullens, a captain of the team, thanked Trump for “standing with women” and criticised President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for supporting policies she viewed as “anti-woman sex-based discrimination.”
“As female athletes especially, we know that men have an inherent advantage over women in sports, and due to current policies, men are competing against women of all ages in all sports,” Mullens said. Trump echoed this sentiment in a recent Fox News interview, explaining how he planned to address the issue.
When asked, “How do you stop it? Do you go to the sports leagues? Do you go to the Olympics?” Trump replied, “You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club, voiced similar views on gender participation in sports, aligning himself with Trump’s perspective on the issue. Putin stated, “The opportunity for men to compete in women’s events is simply killing women’s sports.”
He further emphasised that certain sports, such as boxing and wrestling, should be reserved for women competing against each other. “There is no place for transgenders at sporting events, including the Olympic Games,” he added, proposing that they should compete in their own categories.
Putin also raised issues with the broader atmosphere of the Paris Olympics, saying that elements of the opening ceremony were “insulting for millions of Christians.” This criticism resonated with some of Trump’s campaign themes, as both leaders have portrayed current IOC policies as detrimental to traditional values and fair competition in women’s sports.
One of Trump’s final campaign videos before the election included footage of Khelif’s success, accompanied by a voice-over denouncing current policies with the words, “We surrendered our border, our pay cheques and our courage, our patriotism was called toxic. Men could beat up women and win medals.”
As Trump prepares to implement his policies, his stance on gender eligibility in sports remains one of his most polarising and widely discussed initiatives, finding alignment with leaders abroad like Putin and resonating with voters concerned about fairness in athletic competition.
*Source: Insidethegame
