Olympics-US Olympic & Paralympic Committee bars transgender women from competing in women's sports

(Reuters) -The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has updated its policy to align with an executive order signed earlier this year by U.S. President Donald Trump barring transgender women from competing in women's sports.

"The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC, IPC, NGBs, to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act," the USOPC said in an update to its Athlete Safety Policy.

The USOPC did not respond to a request for comment on the change.

USOPC President Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland referenced Trump's executive order in a memo to the Team USA community sent out this week, ABC News reported, which said, "As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations."

Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" order in February in a bid to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports, a directive that supporters said will restore fairness but critics argue it infringes on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes.

The order directs the Department of Justice to make sure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump's interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education.

Trump's order goes beyond high school and college sports, calling for the U.S. government to deny visas for transgender females seeking to compete in the United States.

Trump also said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The executive order instructed the State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage.

The order is expected to affect only a small number of athletes.

The president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association told a Senate panel in December he was aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes among the 530,000 competing at 1,100 member schools.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese)