USA Rugby to introduce 'open' gender category for trans athletes

The new rule comes after President Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' order and USOPC's new requirement for governing bodies to comply.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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USA Rugby announced it will be introducing a new 'open' gender division to accommodate trans athletes. The organization said it will now have three competition categories: Men's Division, Women's Division, and Open Division, which will permit any athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth and gender identity, to compete in USA Rugby-sanctioned events.

Why it matters

This move by USA Rugby comes in response to the Trump administration's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order and the USOPC's new requirement for all governing bodies to comply. The introduction of an 'open' division aims to be more inclusive of transgender athletes, though it raises questions about fairness and safety in women's sports.

The details

Under the new policy, athletes will be able to select their gender when registering, with potential vetting by USA Rugby officials. The organization states that 'the determination of whether an individual is Female may be established through records from authoritative sources' and that 'only USA Rugby shall have the right to contest the individual's Women's Division status or challenge the presumption of an athlete registered as 'Female.''

  • USA Rugby announced the new policy on February 27, 2026.
  • The 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order was issued by President Trump more than a year ago.
  • The USOPC's new requirement for governing bodies to comply with the executive order came nearly seven months ago.

The players

USA Rugby

The nation's governing body for the sport of rugby.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who issued the 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order.

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC)

The organization that has required all governing bodies to comply with the 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order.

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What they’re saying

“'It's not necessarily very common to get this specific test in the United States, and, so, our goal in that was helping to identify labs and options for the athletes to be able to get that testing. And (it was) based on that experience and knowing that some other international federations likely will be following suit.'”

— Jonathan Finnoff, USOPC Chief Medical Officer (USOPC)

What’s next

The USOPC is exploring options to employ sex testing options for its own teams and expects other world governing bodies to 'follow suit' with mandatory genetic testing of athletes to protect the women's category at the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The takeaway

USA Rugby's introduction of an 'open' gender division aims to be more inclusive of transgender athletes, but it also raises concerns about fairness and safety in women's sports, especially as the USOPC and other governing bodies consider implementing mandatory genetic testing to verify an athlete's biological sex.