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NCAA updates transgender participation policy, will allow each sport to set requirements

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The NCAA is changing its eligibility requirements for transgender student-athletes. The NCAA Board of Governors made the announcement on their website on Wednesday and the change is effective immediately. 

The change gives transgender student-athletes the chance to play sports while “balancing fairness, inclusion and safety for all who compete.”

Here’s more details of the changes from the announcement continues, via NCAA.org:

Like the Olympics, the updated NCAA policy calls for transgender participation for each sport to be determined by the policy for the national governing body of that sport, subject to ongoing review and recommendation by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to the Board of Governors. If there is no NGB policy for a sport, that sport’s international federation policy would be followed. If there is no international federation policy, previously established IOC policy criteria would be followed.”

As part of the new requirements — and effective immediately —  transgender student-athletes will need to present their testosterone levels to officials four weeks before championship selection for any given sport. Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, student-athletes will need to present documented levels of testosterone at the start of the season and six months into the season.

John DeGioia, chair of the board and Georgetown president, explained that the changes comes down to “the fostering of fairness across college sports.”

“It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy,” DeGioia said.

The new policy is reflective of the IOC’s policy for the Olympics.

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