USA Rugby Introduces “Open” Gender Classification
USA Rugby, the governing body for rugby in the United States, announced on Friday a new “open” gender classification aimed at accommodating transgender athletes. This update follows President Trump’s executive order a year ago, which prohibited men from participating in women’s sports, and recent guidelines from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
According to the organization, there will now be three competitive categories: Men’s, Women’s, and Open. The Open Division will allow players of any birth sex or gender identity to compete in both full-contact and non-contact USA Rugby-sanctioned events.
The new policy clarifies that aspiring participants need to select their gender during registration; this may be reviewed as needed. “The division designation is determined when an athlete selects the ‘Gender’ option on Rugby Xplorer during the membership application process,” the organization indicated. When registering as a female or entering a women’s division event, the athlete affirms their identity as female.
Interestingly, this guideline creates a presumption that the individual’s sex, as identified at birth, is female, according to USA Rugby’s membership rules. And only USA Rugby has the authority to question someone’s status in the Women’s Division.
In July, the USOPC updated its athlete safety policy to align with Trump’s executive order, emphasizing the exclusion of men from women’s categories. Furthermore, Trump has called for mandatory genetic testing for athletes to safeguard the women’s category for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. This move appears to stem from concerns over falsified birth certificates allowing biological males to compete as women.
Jonathan Finoff, the Chief Medical Officer of the USOPC, mentioned at a media summit that while the SRY genetic test used internationally isn’t common in the U.S., they are seeking to develop gender testing options for their teams. Finoff expressed expectations that other governing bodies might adopt similar measures.
