{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://markharris.house.gov/media/press-releases/harris-calls-wnba-define-woman-biological-female-establish-clear-eligibility", "Harris Calls on WNBA to Define Woman as Biological Female, Establish Clear Eligibility Standards", "2026-09-25", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "NC", "Mark Harris", "H001102", "markharris.house.gov", "markharris", "https://markharris.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 Today, Congressman Mark Harris (NC-08) sent a letter to Women\u2019s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Commissioner Cathy Engelbert urging the league to define women as biological females under its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and establish biological sex as the basis for eligibility in women\u2019s basketball.\n\nThe letter follows backlash against Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham after she publicly spoke out in support of protecting women\u2019s sports. Commissioner Engelbert subsequently addressed the controversy in a memo to teams but stopped short of announcing changes to the league\u2019s eligibility rules.\n\nEarlier this year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) adopted a policy limiting eligibility in the female category to biological females beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Despite the WNBA\u2019s longstanding connection to Olympic basketball, the league has not announced plans to take similar action.\n\nKEY EXCERPTS FROM THE LETTER:\n\n\u201cSince then, the league has played a pivotal role in advancing women\u2019s sports and creating opportunities for female athletes. Preserving those opportunities requires a clear and consistent standard for eligibility and a commitment to maintaining the integrity of women\u2019s basketball.\u201d\n\n\u201cYet the league\u2019s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) leaves a critical question unanswered. Article XIII, Section 1(a) states, \u2018Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,\u2019 but the CBA does not define \u2018women\u2019 according to biological sex or establish a clear standard for determining eligibility. Without that clarity, female athletes and fans are left uncertain about the standard governing who may compete in a league created specifically for women.\u201d\n\n\u201cSophie Cunningham deserves recognition for having the courage to raise concerns about protecting women\u2019s sports and maintaining a fair competitive environment for female athletes. Athletes should feel confident that they can speak openly about legitimate issues affecting their sport without being subjected to controversy or backlash simply for doing so.\u201d\n\n\u201cI respectfully ask the WNBA to adopt a definition of \u2018woman\u2019 under its CBA that defines women as biological females and establishes biological sex as the basis for eligibility in women\u2019s basketball. Female athletes deserve certainty that the opportunities created for them\u2014and the integrity of women\u2019s basketball\u2014will continue to be protected.\u201d\n\nThe full text of Congressman Harris\u2019s letter can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-26T09:43:57Z", "2026-09-26T09:44:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://markharris.house.gov/media/press-releases/harris-calls-wnba-define-woman-biological-female-establish-clear-eligibility"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9543108753859997, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}