California sports officials changed the eligibility rules of a high school track and field state championship last minute after President Donald Trump called out the state for allowing a transgender-identifying male to snag a victory and disenfranchise female athletes.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the competition will now include the female athletes who did not qualify for the competition, who may have placed higher if the transgender-identifying athlete were not participating. The announcement occurred only hours after Trump posted to Truth Social, threatening to withhold federal funding from the state over the debacle. President Trump said:
California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow “MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.” This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won “everything,” and is now qualified to compete in the “State Finals” next weekend. As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. The Governor, himself, said it is “UNFAIR.” I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114579949187402607
The federation claims it decided to change its policy after the end of Saturday’s Masters Qualifiers round, not after President Trump’s statement.
“The CIF values all of our student-athletes, and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law and Education Code. With this in mind, the CIF will be implementing a pilot entry process for the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,” the federation said in a statement.
Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships. The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.
The policy change will ultimately allow at least two female athletes to compete for the state title after they lose to a trans-identifying male. The male athlete competing as a girl for Jurupa Valley High School won first place for the triple jump and long jump over the weekend, according to the report.
President Trump did not explicitly name the school or athlete in his post to Truth Social.
The Jurupa Unified School district responded to President Trump’s post in a statement to Fox News Digital, contending that the district is following California state law and CIF policy by allowing students to compete on teams and in competitions “consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”
The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) also responded to the outlet, praising the federation for revising its policy. Newsom notably broke with his party during a conversation with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, chief of the popular organization Turning Point USA, in March by calling males competing in girls’ sports “deeply unfair.”
“CIF’s proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing. The Governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach,” Newsom’s office said.
The Department of Education launched a Title IX investigation of CIF in February after President Trump signed an executive order called “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports,” which states that under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, “educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports.” After he signed the order, California openly expressed its plans to flout it in favor of catering to “gender identity.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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