Lia Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers swims in the 500 meter freestyle event during a tri-meet against the Yale Bulldogs and the Dartmouth Big Green at Sheerr Pool on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on January 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, P INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA has adopted a sport-by-sport approach for transgender athletes, bringing the organization in line with the U.S.
and International Olympic Committees.Under the new guidelines, approved by the NCAA Board of Governors on Wednesday, transgender participation for each sport will be determined by the policy for the sport's national governing body, subject to review and recommendation by an NCAA committee to the Board of Governors.When there is no national governing body, that sport’s international federation policy would be in place.
If there is no international federation policy, previously established IOC policy criteria would take over."Approximately 80% of U.S.
Olympians are either current or former college athletes," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a release. "This policy alignment provides consistency and further strengthens the relationship between college sports and the U.S.