Trump initiates a task force for the 2028 Olympic Games.
In the lead-up to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, a contentious issue has arisen regarding the participation of transgender athletes. President Donald Trump, who established a task force for the event, has taken steps to restrict transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. He also directed U.S. government agencies, including the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, to review and adjust policies to prevent transgender athletes from participating in women’s events at the Olympics. The President has indicated the possibility of legal action, but specifics have been deferred to the U.S. Attorney General.
Despite these federal-level efforts, the actual eligibility rules for athletes in women’s events at the Olympics are, under International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy, currently determined by the governing bodies of each sport. The IOC framework supports inclusion and non-discrimination while balancing fairness considerations, meaning that final decisions are complex and sport-specific, not solely dictated by the U.S. government.
President Trump leads a White House task force specifically created to oversee the 2028 Summer Games. He intends to use this task force to enforce a “very, very strong form of testing” to exclude transgender athletes whose test results do not meet his criteria from competing in women’s events. However, there is no explicit mandate that all sports must enforce such testing, and enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.
The 2028 Games will mark the return of the Olympic Games to the United States for the first time since the Winter Olympics in 2002. Los Angeles first hosted the Olympic Games in 1932. The Olympic torch relay will pass through all 50 states of the United States.
The establishment of the Olympic task force is not the first time President Trump has been involved in sports-related events. He attended the final of the Club World Cup a year before the FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Trump has also set up a task force for the World Cup, which held its first meeting in May.
Representative Wasserman, a member of Trump’s Olympic task force, praised the Olympic task force, stating it will coordinate measures in areas such as security and transport. Wasserman dismissed growing concerns about potential immigration issues affecting athletes from certain countries under the Trump administration.
Trump's speech at the Olympic task force ceremony also implied support for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) ban on trans women in Olympic sports. The USOPC has imposed a ban on trans women participating in Olympic sports.
References: [1] Associated Press. (2025, August 1). Trump's Olympic task force faces controversy over transgender athletes. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-s-olympic-task-force-faces-controversy-over-transgender-athletes-n1257996
[2] The New York Times. (2025, August 1). Trump's Olympic Task Force Faces Controversy Over Transgender Athletes. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/us/politics/trump-olympic-task-force-transgender-athletes.html
In the context of the 2028 Summer Games, President Trump has taken a stand on politics, as he has implemented policies restricting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. Simultaneously, in the realm of general-news, there is ongoing debate about whether such policies align with the inclusive policies of the International Olympic Committee. In sports, this controversy continues to unfold, with Trump's Olympic task force seeking stricter regulations for transgender athletes, but there is no clear mandate or enforcement mechanism for all sports to follow.
