The NCAA policy still allows biological men who identify as transgender to participate in women’s sports practices and receive benefits such as medical care during practice.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banned biological men from competing in women’s sports on Thursday, Feb. 6, to comply with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump the previous day.

A new NCAA policy that went into effect on Thursday afternoon states that biological men are no longer eligible to compete on women’s college athletic teams under any circumstance. The NCAA is the largest college athletic association and governs the athletic policies for the highest levels of college sports.

“We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement.

“To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard,” Baker said.

The rule affects more than 1,000 colleges and universities that enroll more than half a million student athletes.

The NCAA’s policy change reverses its previous standards, which had allowed biological men who self-identified as transgender to participate in women’s sports if they brought down their testosterone levels by taking testosterone suppressants. The NCAA first permitted biological men to compete in women’s sports three years ago, in February 2022.

Under the previous rules, each sport had a maximum testosterone level for a biological man to be eligible to compete in a women’s athletic competition.

Under Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order, K-12 schools, colleges and universities that continue to allow biological men to compete in women’s sports will lose all federal funding. It also rescinds federal funding for K-12 schools, colleges and universities that allow biological men to change in women’s locker rooms.

Riley Gaines, a former swimmer with the University of Kentucky who was forced to compete against a biological male swimmer, said in a statement that she was “thrilled” about the NCAA policy change.

“While it’s unfortunate that it took women losing opportunities, facing exploitation in locker rooms, and suffering injuries for leaders to recognize the importance of single-sex spaces, this is still a victory worth celebrating,” said Gaines, who is also an ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF).

“However, men are still competing on women’s collegiate teams across the country,” Gaines added. “I hope the NCAA works with the appropriate authorities to urgently remove said male athletes, reinforce Title IX as intended, and ensure women’s opportunities are protected.”

Sia Liilii, the captain of the University of Nevada-Reno women’s volleyball team, said in a statement she is “ecstatic” about the policy change.

“Women have fought long and hard for equal athletic opportunities,” Liilii, who is also an IWF ambassador, added. “By completely removing men from women’s sports, we are moving back to the true definition of Title IX. Women are given an opportunity to champion their own sports division and shine on a fair competition floor.”

Although biological men who identify as transgender are now ineligible to compete on women’s teams, the NCAA policy still allows them to participate in women’s practices “and receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes who are otherwise eligible for practice” such as medical care during practice.