WNBA legend Sue Bird says IOC's new policy to protect women's sports is akin to 'fearmongering'

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel unpacks the implications the IOC ruling banning trans athletes from women's sports on 'America Reports.'

Sue Bird, a Basketball Hall of Famer and WNBA legend, dismissed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) assertion that its policy change was to protect women’s sports.

Bird agreed with American Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as transgender nonbinary and wrote that the IOC was "not solving a problem that exists." The former Seattle Storm star said the policy was just "fearmongering."

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Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird pose for a photo during the 2025 WNBA All Star Skills Challenge at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on July 18, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

"That kinda sums it up for me because what’s being presented as this huge issue that we have to protect women. It’s not," Bird said speaking to Megan Rapinoe on their "A Touch More" podcast. "What it is is fearmongering, and you brought up the (Trump) administration, for them to get votes. That’s all this is. It’s all that it’s ever been in my opinion.

"I think the other part is a reminder. What we have always talked about and focused on is, if you open this door, if you crack this door open, it gets blown open and you’re not policing women’s bodies across the board. I feel very sad about this. So, to kind of circle back to how we started, just want to send so much love to the trans community."

Earlier in the episode, Rapinoe ripped the IOC’s policy and denied that it was rooted in science.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry speaks to volunteers, ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Daniele Mascolo/Pool