Trump announces formation of a 2028 Olympics task force.
In a move that has sparked controversy, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has announced a new policy that bars transgender women from competing in women’s events for the upcoming 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. This decision reflects compliance with an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports"[1][4].
The updated Athlete Safety Policy, effective from August 2025, does not explicitly use the word "transgender" but clearly implies transgender women are excluded from women's competition categories. The committee stated that, as a federally chartered organization, it has to comply with federal mandates, including Trump's executive order, which directs enforcement against policies that deny single-sex sports opportunities to women[1].
President Trump himself has expressed his excitement about the 2028 Games, stating that they are one of the events he is most looking forward to during his second term. The Games will mark a significant moment for Los Angeles, as it was the city that hosted the Games for the first time in 1932.
Casey Wasserman, the organizing chief of the Games, has praised the Olympic Games task force for coordinating security and transportation measures with federal, state, and local authorities. Wasserman has also dismissed growing concerns that athletes from certain countries might be prevented from participating in the Games due to the tightened immigration policies of the Trump administration.
The USOPC's decision has drawn strong criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, such as Lambda Legal, which described it as discriminatory and politically motivated without proper consideration of scientific or athletic fairness factors[2].
Meanwhile, President Trump has also set up a task force for the World Cup, which held its first meeting in May. Trump signed an executive order for the Olympic Games task force in Washington, with FIFA World Cup President Gianni Infantino as a member of this task force.
Another notable aspect of the 2028 Games is that, for the first time since the Winter Games in 2002 in Salt Lake City, the USA will host the Olympic Games again in three years. The Olympic torch relay for the 2028 Games will pass through all 50 states of the United States.
Despite the controversy surrounding the participation of transgender women in Olympic sports, President Trump has given his support to the USOPC's decision, although he did not explicitly mention it in his speech[3]. Wasserman, on the other hand, has declared that these Olympics will be "America's Games."
References:
- NBC News
- Lambda Legal
- CNN
- The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee's new policy on policy-and-legislation, which bars transgender women from women’s events for the upcoming 2028 Summer Games, is a point of general-news discussion and controversy, with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like Lambda Legal describing it as discriminatory.
- In the realm of politics and sports, the USOPC's decision on transgender women participation in the 2028 Games aligns with an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump, demonstrating a distinct blend of sports and policy-and-legislation.
