NCAA changes transgender athlete participation policy amid calls for reevaluation

The NCAA changed its policy regarding transgender athletes, it announced Wednesday.

The new approach to allowing transgender athletes will follow a sport-by-sport model similarly adopted by the U.S. and international Olympic committees, Sports Illustrated reported. The NCAA said if there was no international federation policy then the "previously established IOC policy criteria would be followed."

"We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports," John DeGioia, Georgetown University's president and the NCAA board's chairman, said in a statement Wednesday, announcing the change.

The new policy is effective immediately.

The...