Despite strong opposition from Amnesty International, Reem Alsalem, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, voiced support on Wednesday for U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
Alsalem described the February 5 directive as a significant measure to uphold fairness, safety, and dignity for female athletes. She also advocated for the introduction of open sports categories to ensure inclusivity. “This decision reaffirms the importance of maintaining sex-based categories in sports, thereby safeguarding equal opportunities for women and girls,” she stated.
Trump’s order grants federal agencies the authority to withhold funding from schools that allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. “From now on, women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump declared. However, Amnesty International condemned the move as “yet another cruel attack on transgender people.”
Alsalem, however, defended the order, emphasizing that it “sends a clear message that the rights of women and girls to female-only spaces, including in sports, matter.” While UN special rapporteurs conduct independent assessments and report to the Human Rights Council, they do not officially represent the United Nations as a whole.
She urged U.S. officials to ensure sports remain accessible to all while maintaining safety and fairness. “To ensure that no one is left behind, I urge the U.S. government to establish open sports categories or convert the male category into an open one for those who do not wish to compete in their biological sex category,” Alsalem added.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which oversees college sports in the U.S., welcomed Trump’s order and pledged to align with the new policy. Trump also announced plans to push the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revise its stance on transgender athletes before the 2028 Los Angeles Games. He instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to relay the administration’s position, stating, “We want them to change everything… having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject.”
Currently, the IOC allows individual sports federations to set their own policies, with some permitting male-born transgender athletes to compete in women’s divisions. “I welcome the emphasis on promoting international rules and norms to protect women and girl athletes at all levels,” Alsalem concluded.
