Michael Cloud Vows to Protect Women's Sports With SAFE Olympic Sports Act

U.S. Congressman Michael Cloud (R) introduced the Securing Actual Female Events in Olympic Sports Act, known as the SAFE Olympic Sports Act, to preserve single-sex competition in Olympic and amateur sports.

The bill was unveiled shortly after National Girls and Women in Sports Day and the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, highlighting its focus on women's athletics.

The legislation would amend Title 36 of the U.S. Code to require national governing bodies (NGBs) for Olympic and amateur sports to limit participation in athletic events based on the athletes' biological sex, defined in the bill as immutable and determined at conception.

The SAFE Olympic Sports Act builds on President Donald Trump's February 5, 2025, Executive Order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," which promoted the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to bar transgender women from the women's events.

Supporters of the bill argue that actions taken by some sports organizations since then demonstrate the need for statutory safeguards, citing examples such as the Minnesota division of USA fencing, which sanctioned only mixed-gender events to accommodate transgender athletes.

"Women and girls deserve fair, safe competition without facing biological males," said Cloud. "We've seen brave athletes like Stephanie Turner, who was disqualified from a USA Fencing tournament in May 2025 for refusing to fence against a man, stand up for what's right. This bill ensures NGBs like USA Fencing can't abandon women's events and upholds the promise of Title IX."

The bill also received support from advocacy groups.

Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, said the legislation reflects voter expectations.

"The American people delivered a clear mandate to Congress to restore sanity to the field and the locker room and provide children with the opportunity to thrive," said Schilling.

Key provisions of the SAFE Olympic Sports Act would require NGBs to maintain single-sex events if they have done so in the past decade, apply eligibility rules across all levels of competition, and allow mixed-gender events only if they do not replace men's or women's categories.

Co-sponsors of the bill include:

• Daniel Webster
• John Rose
• Anna Paulina Luna
• Mary Miller
• Clay Higgins
• Claudia Tenny
• Lauren Boebert
• Burgess Owens
• Blake Moore
• Barry Moore
• Nancy Mace
• Randy Fine
• Abe Hamadeh