‘War Is Over’: Trump Signs Order Banning Transgender Athletes From Women’s Sports Months After Imane Khelif's Olympic Medal Row

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order seeking to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports, as reported by news agency AP.

The “Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports” order provides federal agencies wide latitude to ensure entities that receive federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the administration's view, which interprets “sex” as the gender assigned at birth. The order coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day and is the latest in a series of executive actions by Trump against transgender rights.

During the signing ceremony in the East Room, the US President said, “With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over.” He was surrounded by lawmakers and female athletes, including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who supported the ban.

Speaking on the latest order, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that it “honours the promise of Title IX” and will prompt “immediate enforcement actions” against schools and athletic organisations that deny women access to single-sex sports and locker rooms.

Top Republicans, including US House Speaker Mike Johnson and firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Green, were present when the executive order was signed. "We will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls. From now on, women's sports will be only for women," Trump said.

The order gives government agencies authority to deny federal funds to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on women's teams. "It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy," the executive order said.

The US President also asserted that he would further push the International Olympic Committee to change its rules on transgender athletes before the Games return to the US in 2028 in Los Angeles.

During the 2024 election campaign, Trump slammed Democrats multiple times on the divisive issue of transgender rights, capitalizing on a broader culture war over the topic.

Trump’s latest order comes months after he sparked controversy by criticising two Olympic gold medalist female boxers, labelling them as men in Pennsylvania. The remarks made by the US President in the context of his pledge to "keep men out of women's sports," had reignited debates over gender and sports.

In the remarks made in 2024 following the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, Trump referred to the athletes and stated, "They were men. They transitioned to women, and they were in the boxing," adding that it is "so demeaning to women." Trump's comments follow a pattern of his rallies where he has frequently targeted transgender athletes.

The two Olympic gold medalist athletes in question, Li Yu-ting of Taiwan and Imane Khelif of Algeria have been at the centre of global scrutiny due to misconceptions about their gender.

Both athletes were disqualified from last year's Women's World Championships by the now-banned International Boxing Association (IBA) over alleged failures in gender eligibility tests, despite being born and raised as women.

Khelif and Lin, who were cleared to compete in women's boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, had been disqualified from the Women's World Championships in India due to elevated testosterone levels, according to the IBA.

The IBA's decision, which stripped both boxers of their medals and barred them from women's competition, was widely criticised for its lack of transparency and fairness. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared both Lin and Khelif to compete in the Olympics, basing their eligibility on the athletes' passport gender.

The IOC condemned the harassment faced by Khelif, who has been subjected to online abuse and threats following the ruling by the IBA. Khelif spoke out against the bullying, warning of its potential to ruin lives.

Trump's repeated criticism of Khelif, including referring to her as a man, has drawn widespread condemnation from various quarters. His remarks come amidst ongoing debates about the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports, an issue that has polarised opinions across the globe.

The situation has highlighted the broader challenges faced by athletes like Khelif and Lin, who are caught in the crossfire of debates over gender, fairness, and the intersection of sports and identity.

(With agencies inputs)