USA Fencing changes transgender policy, cites new guidance from US Olympic Committee

Former US Olympic fencing team coach Andrey Geva opened up to Fox News Digital why he is suing USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt after a controversial testimony at a May 7 congressional hearing.

USA Fencing has updated its gender eligibility policy after months of criticism for allowing biological males to compete in the women's category. 

The organization appeared to update its policy last week to include the following requirements for competing in domestic women's competitions: "Athletes who are of the female sex, provided all other entry criteria have been met." 

The new policy will go into effect beginning next month.

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Lauren Scruggs competes against Alice Volpi in the women's foil team gold medal match during the Paris Olympic Games. (Katie Goodale-USA Today Sports)

The previous policy stated: "To participate in a USA Fencing-sanctioned event, athletes are to register with USA Fencing as the gender in which they identify," adding that biological males "may only compete in women’s events after completing one calendar year (12 months) of testosterone suppression treatment." 

USA Fencing announced in late April that it was preparing to change its gender-eligibility policy to ensure that the women's category would be "open exclusively to athletes of the female sex." The new official policy does not include the "exclusively" language that was used in April's proposal. 

USA Fencing has declined to clarify to Fox News Digital if the new policy explicitly prevents all biological males from competing in women's events. USA Fencing also declined to specify how it will enforce the new policy, whether mandatory sex testing will be implemented or whether it will accept