Trump warns US 'won't have much of an Olympic team anymore' without new college sports regulations

President Donald Trump held a ceremony to honor the NCAA champions in several non-revenue college sports at the White House Tuesday, including bowling, admitting he is not the best at that sports. (White House)

President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. "won't have an Olympic team anymore," if not for regulation on the NCAA to address dwindling resources for certain non-revenue college sports in the U.S.

Trump gave the warning at a White House ceremony honoring several recent NCAA champions in non-revenue sports.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

President Donald Trump speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026, during an event honoring NCAA collegiate national champions. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)

"75% of Olympians competing for Team USA played as college athletes. If we don't straighten out this, we're not going to have much of an Olympic team because you have so many of these sports, especially certain sports where it's like the minor leagues — you could call it the major leagues; you could call it whatever you want — but we train unbelievable athletes to go in and win the gold medal," Trump said Tuesday.

"Without college sports, without your ability to go into college sports and compete and learn really how to play and get better, we're not going to have much of an Olympic team anymore."

Approximately 75% of U.S. Olympians have a collegiate background, competing in NCAA, NAIA, or junior college programs, per the NCAA. For the 2024 Paris Olympics, 65% of the U.S. roster consisted of current or former NCAA student-athletes. Key sports with high collegiate representation include swimming (96%), rowing (95%), and track and field.

Trump made the comments