The NCAA Board of Governors has approved a sport-by-sport approach to determining the eligibility of transgender athletes to compete in college sports.
The new policy was announced Wednesday night, as university presidents, athletic directors and college sports administrators opened their annual convention. It is effective immediately, with the start of winter sports championships. And it reflects, according to Georgetown University President John DeGioia, chair of the NCAA panel, an effort to strike the proper balance between fairness and inclusion.
“We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports,” DeGioia said in a statement. “It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy.”
A transgender college swimmer is shattering records, sparking a debate over fairness
Under the policy, transgender athletes’ participation for each sport will be determined by the policy set by each sport’s governing body, subject to ongoing review and recommendation by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to the Board of Governors.
If a sport’s national governing body has no policy, the relevant international federation’s policy would be followed. In the absence of an international federation policy, the NCAA would follow the established policy of the International Olympic Committee for that sport.
The intent behind the NCAA’s decision is to align transgender athletes’ participation in college sports with recent policy changes by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and International Olympic Committee.
Roughly 80 percent of U.S. Olympians are current or former college athletes, according to NCAA President Mark Emmert.
The issue of transgender athletes’ right to compete in college sports has been debated for years. It has gained new currency with the record-smashing success of Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed for the men’s team for three seasons. After undergoing more than two years of hormone replacement therapy as part of her transition, she has posted the fastest times of any female college swimmer in two events this season.
The new policy was announced Wednesday night, as university presidents, athletic directors and college sports administrators opened their annual convention. It is effective immediately, with the start of winter sports championships. And it reflects, according to Georgetown University President John DeGioia, chair of the NCAA panel, an effort to strike the proper balance between fairness and inclusion.
“We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports,” DeGioia said in a statement. “It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy.”
A transgender college swimmer is shattering records, sparking a debate over fairness
Under the policy, transgender athletes’ participation for each sport will be determined by the policy set by each sport’s governing body, subject to ongoing review and recommendation by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to the Board of Governors.
If a sport’s national governing body has no policy, the relevant international federation’s policy would be followed. In the absence of an international federation policy, the NCAA would follow the established policy of the International Olympic Committee for that sport.
The intent behind the NCAA’s decision is to align transgender athletes’ participation in college sports with recent policy changes by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and International Olympic Committee.
Roughly 80 percent of U.S. Olympians are current or former college athletes, according to NCAA President Mark Emmert.
The issue of transgender athletes’ right to compete in college sports has been debated for years. It has gained new currency with the record-smashing success of Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed for the men’s team for three seasons. After undergoing more than two years of hormone replacement therapy as part of her transition, she has posted the fastest times of any female college swimmer in two events this season.
