WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Women announced today the kickoff of National Women’s Sports Week, a nationwide celebration of female athletic achievement and equal opportunity that will run from June 22 through June 28. This year’s celebration comes on the heels of major victories for women’s sports, including President Trump’s Executive Order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
National Women’s Sports Week honors the extraordinary progress made since Title IX was enacted in 1972, opening doors for millions of girls and women to compete, grow, and thrive. The week also shines a spotlight on the parents, coaches, and advocates who continue to empower female athletes and defend the integrity of women’s competition.
Payton McNabb, Independent Women Ambassador, said: “Women’s Sports Week is a reminder of how far we’ve come and why we keep showing up. This week, we celebrate the strength, grit, and legacy of female athletes everywhere!”
Beth Parlato, Senior Legal Advisor of Independent Women’s Law Center, said: “As we celebrate Women’s Sports Week, we honor the achievements of female athletes across the nation. Women’s sports were created to ensure fair competition and equal opportunity for females, and this June, the future for female athletics is brighter than it was just a year ago. Thanks to tireless advocacy, bold state leadership and executive action at the federal level, the rights of women and girls are protected. Independent Women’s Third Edition Competition Report, released this month in honor of Women’s Sports Week and the Anniversary of Title IX, highlights the physiological differences between males and females, reinforcing the need for sex-based categories in sports. Female athletics are worth defending, and we are winning.”
NEW EDITION OF INDEPENDENT WOMEN’S “COMPETITION REPORT”:
Independent Women’s Law Center and Independent Women released the third edition of its competition report, which synthesizes the science and explains the changing legal landscape and the future of female athletics.
The report’s executive summary reads, in part:
“The harm caused by males in women’s sports is significant. In head-to-head competitions, allowing biologically male athletes into the women’s division can severely limit the chances of success for female athletes. On teams with limited roster spots, allowing even one biological male to participate takes a spot and playing time (and potentially a scholarship) from a female athlete. And in many sports, allowing males to compete against females increases the risk of injury to female athletes. As the number of males seeking to compete in women’s sports grows, the harm to female athletes also grows. Claims to the contrary deny science, defy logic, and undermine Title IX.”
Read the third edition of “Competition: Title IX, Male Athletes, and the Threat To Women’s Sports” HERE.
NATIONAL WOMEN’S SPORTS WEEK BACKGROUND:
National Women’s Sports Week was founded and powered by Independent Women in 2022. Observed annually during the week of June 23rd, National Women’s Sports Week celebrates female athletes—past, present, and future—for their achievements and contributions to sport. This week, Senator Joni Ernst and Representative Claudia Tenney are expected to reintroduce a resolution in Congress recognizing the week of June 23 as “National Women’s Sports Week.”
National Women’s Sports Week coincides with the 53rd anniversary of Title IX, landmark legislation passed in 1972. Title IX transformed sports by guaranteeing women and girls the right to equal athletic opportunities.
Last year, Independent Women led the fight to preserve the integrity of women’s sports by advocating for Title IX to be restored to its original intent with a nationwide bus tour –– visiting 30 states in 30 days. This year, Independent Women is recognizing the Trump administration’s historic leadership in restoring Title IX to its original intent and kicking off National Women’s Sports Week (June 22–28) with a statewide bus tour across New Mexico stopping in all 33 counties throughout the state.
Independent Women Features (IW Features), the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of Independent Women, has shared countless stories of female athletes fighting for fairness in their sports. The stories of athletes harmed by the male takeover of female sports including Payton McNabb, Hannah Arnold, Amy Olson, Cynthia Monteleone, and many others brought national attention to the issue, leading to the passage of President Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
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