What Trump’s transgender ban means for LA Olympics

Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday banning transgender women from competing in female categories of sport, a ban that extends to the global showpiece in the latter half of his second term, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

- LAWRENCE OSTLERE

President Trump said the US government would deny visas for transgender Olympians who wanted to compete at the Games. “The war on women’s sports is over,” Mr Trump said. When asked about LA 2028, he added: “My administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes.”

Mr Trump also sent a warning to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), saying he wants the governing body to “change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject [trangender inclusion]” ahead of the Games.

Only a handful of openly transgender and non-binary athletes have ever competed at the Olympics. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was the first openly transgender woman to compete at an Olympics when she took part at Tokyo 2020. US middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz, who was assigned female at birth, came out as transgender and non-binary in 2021, and finished seventh in the women’s 1500m final in Paris last summer. Canadian footballer Quinn is also non-binary and transgender, and was part of the team who won gold in Tokyo.