GOP Pushes IOC to Rethink Gender Rules for Athlete Participation

People seated in a large governmental assembly hall

Republican lawmakers are pushing the International Olympic Committee to adopt sex-based eligibility rules for women’s sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, citing President Trump’s executive order banning biological males from female competitions.

Key Takeaways

26 Republican lawmakers signed a letter urging the IOC to base eligibility for women’s competitions on biological sex, aligning with Trump’s recent executive order.
The letter, led by Sen. Jim Risch and Rep. Burgess Owens, emphasizes preserving fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for female Olympic athletes.
The IOC currently allows individual sport federations to set their own eligibility rules for transgender athletes, with varying policies across different sports.
The lawmakers’ push comes as the IOC prepares for its March 17 meeting and planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The effort reflects broader Republican initiatives on transgender participation in sports, including a recently passed House bill banning transgender girls from K-12 girls’ sports teams.

Republican Lawmakers Demand Action from Olympic Committee

A group of 26 Republican lawmakers from both chambers of Congress have sent a formal letter to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, urging the organization to align its policies with President Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes. The letter, spearheaded by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), calls for Olympic eligibility rules that would require women’s athletic competitions to be based strictly on biological sex, rather than gender identity.

The lawmakers’ letter specifically references Trump’s February 5 executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports categories. This initiative comes ahead of the IOC’s March 17 meeting, where members will elect a new president and continue planning for the 2028 Summer Olympics scheduled to be held in Los Angeles. The timing is strategic, as it aims to influence Olympic policy well before the United States hosts the games.

Protecting Women’s Olympic Opportunities

In their appeal to the IOC, the Republican lawmakers emphasized the importance of preserving competitive fairness for female athletes. They pointed to concerns about physical advantages that individuals who have gone through male puberty might retain, even after hormone therapy or gender transition procedures. The current IOC framework, established in 2021, allows international sports federations to develop their own eligibility criteria for transgender and intersex athletes.

The Olympics have allowed transgender athletes to compete since 2004, with the first openly transgender athlete participating in 2021. The debate intensified during the 2024 Paris Olympics when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was allowed to compete despite being disqualified from a previous championship due to having XY chromosomes. The IOC permitted Khelif’s participation based on testosterone levels rather than chromosomal makeup, a decision that sparked controversy.

Implications for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

The Republican lawmakers’ letter makes clear that they expect compliance with American policy when the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028. President Trump has announced that his executive order would specifically apply to the Los Angeles Games, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responsible for enforcement. This could potentially create tension between the IOC’s global governance and U.S. domestic policy regarding athlete eligibility.

The congressional effort is part of a broader Republican initiative to influence policy on transgender participation in sports across multiple levels. Most recently, the House passed a bill to ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams in K-12 schools. The IOC’s response to this political pressure will likely set precedents for how international sporting bodies navigate the complex intersection of national policies, gender identity, and competitive fairness in global athletics.