Donald Trump has threatened to make every female athlete take a one-time sex test at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles as the US president made his feelings clear regarding transgender athletes.
On Tuesday afternoon, at an event in the South Court Auditorium, Trump signed an executive order to establish a White House task force to coordinate the federal government’s preparations for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, which is due to get underway in July 2028.
He also spoke to the media during the event, which included a question from a reporter about the prospect of prosecuting transgender athletes participating in women’s events, referring especially to women’s boxing.
Trump replied: “As far as charges, I’d have to ask the attorney general about that. I don’t know, but there will be a very, very strong form of testing, and if the test doesn’t come out appropriately, they won’t be in the Olympics.”
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As well as taking questions from those in attendance, Trump thanked the president and chairman of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Gene Sykes, for the group’s pledge to follow an order by banning transgender women athletes.
He said: "The United States will not let men steal trophies from women at the 2028 Olympics. So, we appreciate the fairness and everything else that you’ve shown."
The Olympic Games in Paris were overshadowed by the situation surrounding Algerian welterweight boxer Imane Khelif.
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Khelif, who represented Algeria, won the gold medal in the women's welterweight category after defeating China's Yang Liu in the final, but there was significant controversy over the victory amid question marks raised regarding Khelif's gender eligibility.
Back in 2023, Khelif was disqualified from the World Championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test.
Ahead of the Olympics, the IOC's stance on the matter was that Khelif had 'complied with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations'.
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The Algerian's boxer father told Sky Sports that Khelif was born and raised as a girl, with then-IOC president Thomas Bach stating there was 'never any doubt' over whether she is a woman.
What's happened to Imane Khelif since winning gold in Paris?
In the days after she won gold, a report from Variety suggested that Khelif and her legal team had filed a criminal case against Twitter (X) over alleged 'acts of aggravated cyber harassment'.
Back in February of this year, she accused the IBA of making 'false and offensive' accusations after it launched its own lawsuit, this time against the IOC, over their decision to allow Khelif to compete in Paris.
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Three months later, World Boxing – the sport's new governing body at amateur level – confirmed that Khelif would have to take a gender eligibility test in order to compete in future events.
Topics: Donald Trump, Olympics, Boxing
Jack Kenmare