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President Donald Trump said there will be a “very strong form of testing” in response to a question about mandatory genetic testing for women’s sports at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Trump’s response came at a Tuesday White House event where he signed an executive order to establish the creation of an LA28 task force.
“I think there is going to be a very strong form of testing,” Trump said. “There will be a very, very strong form of testing, and if the test doesn’t come out appropriately, then they won’t be in the Olympics.”
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) recently amended its athlete safety policy to suggest compliance with Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
“USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities… to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201,” the policy reads.
Trump said Tuesday that he believes the USOPC would have changed its previous policy that allowed biological males to compete in the women’s competitions even if he hadn’t returned to office and signed the executive order.
“I think they probably would have,” Trump said.
Trump was also asked if he believes the current policy will stay in place after he leaves office.
“There’s a possibility. It could go either way if you really want to know the truth,” Trump said. “I feel strongly about it. I have, I ran a campaign at least partially on that. That was one of the many issues I talked about… that was certainly one of the issues.”
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Many women’s sports rights activists have aggressively called for the implementation of mandatory sex testing in Olympic and NCAA women’s competition since Trump’s executive order was signed.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), the advocacy group that represents multiple women’s activist athletes, released a statement on July 22 calling for mandatory sex screening for all women’s athletes in USOPC-sanctioned events, after the policy change was publicized.
“The next critical step is for the USOPC to implement sex screening protocols. This will ensure that women are guaranteed equal, fair and safe opportunities in athletic competition. ICONS will not rest until every girl, at every level, in every sport has access to fair competition and privacy in locker rooms,” the statement said.
“The U.S. has a chance to be a leader in standing up for the fair treatment of women around the world.”
Women’s fencer Stephanie Turner, who brought attention to the USOPC policies when she knelt in protest of a trans opponent in footage that went viral in April, also called for the testing.
“Enforcement of this policy is going to be essential,” Turner said. Turner pointed to karyotyping, a test that examines the chromosomes in a sample of cells, as a necessary form of testing.
“You can’t rely on documentation anymore. You can’t rely on drivers license(s), you can’t rely on birth certificates because those can all be edited.”
Former U.S. women’s gymnast Dee Worley also told Fox News Digital that she believes testing should be mandatory in order to protect female competitors.
Worley said that she doesn’t believe any momentum on the issue will be achieved until mandatory sex screenings are implemented.
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