In a scathing critique during a Fox News segment, former All-American tennis player and co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, Kim Jones, dismantled the NCAA’s recently updated transgender participation policy, calling it “rotten to the core.”
The NCAA’s policy, which states that an athlete’s sex is determined by their birth records, has come under intense scrutiny. Jones argues that the policy contains significant loopholes and fails to align with the executive order signed by President Trump aimed at protecting women’s sports.
“There’s not a single line of it that is in compliance or in alignment with the executive order,” Jones stated during the interview. She highlighted a crucial flaw in the policy: birth certificates can be amended in 44 states, potentially allowing athletes to circumvent the intended restrictions.
Despite the NCAA’s assertion to Fox News that “the policy is clear” and that “student athletes assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team with amended birth certificates,” Jones points out that there is no mechanism in place to verify whether a birth certificate has been amended.
“The policy, as it is written, doesn’t define women. It doesn’t define sex,” Jones explained. She emphasized that the current policy “openly allows any man membership on a women’s team” without proper screening mechanisms or accountability.
Jones proposed three mandatory elements for an effective policy: exclusive membership of female student athletes on women’s teams, a clear screening mechanism, and a barrier preventing male athletes from participating. When asked about testing methods, Jones suggested a simple cheek swab to check for the SRY gene would suffice.
The former tennis star called for immediate action, urging President Trump to “Call the NCAA back to the table” and start over with the policy. Her final recommendation was unequivocal: the current policy should be discarded and completely rewritten to provide genuine protection for women’s sports.
This development suggests that despite initial celebrations following the executive order’s signing, the battle for protecting women’s sports at the collegiate level continues to face significant challenges.
