On February 5, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," aiming to prohibit transgender women from participating in female sports categories across educational institutions and at the Olympic level. The order empowers the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to adjust policies to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's sports within the United States. It also threatens to withdraw federal funding from educational institutions that allow transgender women to participate in women's sports teams or access related facilities.

This move is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to influence the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to establish a uniform ban on transgender athletes in women's competitions before the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The administration has indicated plans to deny visas to transgender athletes seeking to compete in these events.

The executive order has been met with significant criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, who argue that it discriminates against the transgender community and fosters intolerance. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the measure, stating that it promotes discrimination and violates fundamental rights.

The IOC has traditionally delegated the regulation of gender participation to international sports federations. However, with the upcoming retirement of IOC President Thomas Bach, there is speculation about potential policy changes, especially considering that one of the candidates to succeed him is Sebastian Coe, a proponent of restricting women's sports to cisgender women.