(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump’s Department of Education wants the National Collegiate Athletic Association to restore records and awards for female athletes.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of General Counsel sent a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations asking them to restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards, and recognitions misappropriated by males competing in female categories.
“Because of President Trump’s bold leadership, men will no longer be allowed to compete in women’s sports regardless of how they identify, and the NCAA has correctly changed its tune on its discriminatory practices against female athletes,” Deputy General Counsel Candice Jackson said in a statement. “The next necessary step is to restore athletic records to women who have for years been devalued, ignored, and forced to watch men steal their accolades. The Trump Education Department will do everything in our power to right this wrong and champion the hard-earned accomplishments of past, current, and future female collegiate athletes.”
Riley Gaines, a women’s sports advocate who tied for fifth place with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the women’s 200-meter NCAA championships, said it was time for a change.
“For the past four years, women have been begging for equal opportunities to compete and succeed, only to be ignored,” Gaines said. “A president who recognizes and celebrates women for our accomplishments is long overdue. Restoring stolen athletic accolades to their rightful owners is a crucial step towards reinstating accountability, integrity, and common sense – one that I wholeheartedly support.”
Last week, the NCAA on banned athletes who were born male from playing in women’s sports to align itself with Trump’s executive order on the issue.
The association said student-athletes assigned male at birth will still be allowed to practice with women’s teams and receive certain benefits but will not be able to participate in NCAA-sanctioned competitions.
Trump signed the executive order “No Men in Women’s Sports,” effectively barring transgender girls and women from participating in female sports events in schools and colleges that receive federal tax dollars, fulfilling a pledge made during his 2024 presidential campaign.