Last week, Donald Trump signed into law an executive order, titled Establishing the White House Task Force on the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Its purpose is stated as enabling America’s federal government to lead a unified effort to ensure maximum safety, secure borders and world-class transportation for the millions of visitors who will descend on the US for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Section 3(d) confers legal authority on the Task Force to “… assist in the planning and implementation of visa processing and credentialing for foreign athletes, coaches, officials and media personnel”. So far, nothing nakedly objectionable.

But it was what Trump said during the press conference conducted following his scribbling ceremony that reeked of the dystopian and represents cause for alarm. First, and in response to direct questioning, Trump refused to extinguish the idea of criminally prosecuting transgender athletes who participate in women’s sports. Let that sink in.

Second, Trump alluded to a “… very, very strong form of [sex] testing …” that (presumably) all athletes must pass in order to compete in women’s competition at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Trump doubled down “… if the test doesn’t come out appropriately, they won’t be in the Olympics …”

Let that resonate. Over 7,000 female Olympic and Paralympic athletes will enter the competitions for LA 2028. Taken at his word – and maybe that isn’t prudent – the US President is alluding to some type of all-encompassing “sex testing” of those athletes as a hurdle to entry.........

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