INDIANAPOLIS — One day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports, the NCAA said Thursday it is changing its student-athlete participation policy. Only athletes who are female at birth are eligible to compete in women’s sports.
Transgender student-athletes who are male at birth are allowed to practice with women’s teams and to receive medical care while practicing, the policy says.
“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,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.”
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 students.
The NCAA first began allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports in February 2022.
In addition to Thursday's reversal of its student-athlete policy, the NCAA Board of Governors is directing staff to help its member schools foster collegiate athletic cultures that are respectful and inclusive, the NCAA said. It also updated its mental health best practices requiring schools to make mental health resources and services available to all student-athletes.
