NCAA changes transgender athlete participation policy, amid calls for reevaluation

Olympic gold medalist and Title IX advocator Donna de Varona discusses the NCAA board debating their transgender policy.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has changed its policy regarding transgender athletes, it announced Wednesday.

The new approach to allowing transgender athletes will follow a sport-by-sport model similarly adopted by the U.S. and international Olympic committees, Sports Illustrated reported.

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"We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports," John DeGioia, Georgetown University's president and the NCAA board's chairman, said in a statement Wednesday, announcing the change.

The new policy is effective immediately.

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The Board of Governors voted to pass the new policy as it "preserves opportunity for transgender student-athletes while balancing fairness, inclusion and safety for all who compete," according to the report.

"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," DeGioia added.

FILE - The NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is shown in this Thursday, March 12, 2020. The NCAA on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, set the stage for a dramatic restructuring of college sports that will give each of its three divisions the power to govern itself. (Associated Press)

Each particular sport’s national governing body will be responsible for determining transgender athlete participation. If a sport does not have a national