Bill Summary
The **Securing Actual Female Events in Olympic Sports Act** (SAFE Olympic Sports Act) seeks to amend Title 36 of the United States Code to establish eligibility criteria for amateur athletes participating in events sanctioned by national governing bodies, specifically relating to their biological sex.
Key provisions of the bill include:
1. **Participation Criteria**: The legislation mandates that amateur athletes can only compete in events that correspond to their biological sex, defined as male or female based on immutable biological classification at conception.
2. **Definitions**: The bill provides specific definitions of "sex," "male," and "female," emphasizing biological characteristics related to reproductive systems.
3. **Sanctioning of Competitions**: National governing bodies are required to continue sanctioning competitions that were previously established for solely male or female athletes, without altering competition categories (except to comply with the new eligibility criteria).
Overall, the act aims to ensure that competitive events within the Olympic framework are designated strictly along biological lines, thereby defining participation based on an athlete's sex at birth.
Possible Impacts
The "Securing Actual Female Events in Olympic Sports Act" (SAFE Olympic Sports Act) could have various effects on individuals and groups involved in sports. Here are three examples:
1. **Impact on Transgender Athletes**: The legislation requires that amateur athletes participate only in events corresponding to their biological sex as defined at conception. This could limit the ability of transgender athletes who identify as female to compete in women's events if they were assigned male at birth. As a result, this could lead to feelings of exclusion and discrimination among transgender individuals and might discourage them from participating in competitive sports altogether.
2. **Reinforcement of Gender Binary in Sports**: By emphasizing biological sex as the sole criterion for participation, the legislation may reinforce traditional views of gender and create rigid categories in sports. This could marginalize athletes who do not fit neatly into the male or female categories (e.g., intersex athletes) and could lead to fewer opportunities for diverse gender identities to compete in professional settings, thereby affecting their visibility and participation in sports.
3. **Legal and Administrative Challenges for Sports Organizations**: National governing bodies for sports may face legal challenges and administrative burdens in implementing the new eligibility criteria. They will have to navigate the complexities of compliance with the law, which might involve re-evaluating existing policies, potentially leading to conflicts with local regulations or existing athlete inclusion policies. This could divert resources away from promoting sports and supporting athletes, impacting overall participation and the quality of athletic programs.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7421 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7421
To amend title 36, United States Code, to provide that a national
governing body shall have as an eligibility criteria related to
participation in the Olympic Games, a requirement that an amateur
athlete may only participate in events corresponding to the sex of such
athlete, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 9, 2026
Mr. Cloud (for himself, Mr. Webster of Florida, Mr. Rose, Mrs. Luna,
Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Ms. Tenney, Ms.
Boebert, Mr. Owens, Mr. Moore of Utah, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Ms. Mace,
Mr. Fine, and Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 36, United States Code, to provide that a national
governing body shall have as an eligibility criteria related to
participation in the Olympic Games, a requirement that an amateur
athlete may only participate in events corresponding to the sex of such
athlete, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Securing Actual Female Events in
Olympic Sports Act'' or the ``SAFE Olympic Sports Act''.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS CORRESPONDING TO SEX OF
ATHLETE IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES.
(a) In General.--Section 220522 of title 36, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (15), by inserting ``except as provided in
paragraph (20),'' before ``does not have eligibility
criteria'';
(2) in paragraph (18), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(3) in paragraph (19), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(20) has as an eligibility criteria related to
participation in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the
Pan-American Games, the Parapan American Games, or any other
national, regional, State, or local event or competition
sanctioned by such organization (including any national,
regional, State, any local division thereof), a requirement
that an amateur athlete may only participate in events and
competitions corresponding to the sex of such athlete.''.
(b) Definitions.--Section 220501(b) of title 36, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(12) `sex' means a person's immutable biological
classification as either male or female, as biologically
determined.
``(13) `male' means a person belonging, at conception, to
the biological sex characterized by a reproductive system with
the biological function of producing sperm.
``(14) `female' means a person belonging, at conception, to
the biological sex characterized by the reproductive system
with the biological function of producing eggs.''.
SEC. 3. GRANTING SANCTIONS FOR AMATEUR ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS.
220525 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(c) Continued Sanctioning of Certain Competitions.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to section 220522(20), for the
sport that it governs, a national governing body (including any
national, regional, State, any local division thereof) shall
continue sanctioning an amateur athletic competition that--
``(A) meets the requirements to be sanctioned under
this section;
``(B) is solely for competition among males or
solely for competition among females; and
``(C) is a competition (or a successor to a
competition) that the national governing body
sanctioned during the 10-year period prior to the date
of enactment of this subsection.
``(2) Clarification for events previous sanctioned.--A
national governing body may not rescind the sanctioning or
alter the competition categories related to the sex of the
athletes (except to comply with section 220522(20)) of any
event described in paragraph (1) that the national governing
body sanctioned prior to the date of enactment of this
subsection and that has not taken place as of such date of
enactment.
``(3) Rule of construction.--This subsection may not be
construed to prohibit a national governing body from
sanctioning an amateur athletic competition that is for
competition among males and females.''.
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