California opens track-and-field finals to more girls after success of trans athlete

The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend’s state track-and-field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete.

The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend’s state track-and-field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete.

The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more “biological female” athletes to participate in the championship meet. The group announced the change Tuesday after President Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition.

“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 federation said in a statement. “The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.”

The move comes amid a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have limited transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats.