Olympic swimmer Rka Gyrgy calls out Virginia Governor Spanberger for withdrawing female sports regulation

György was one of three female swimmers who petitioned the Virginia Board of Health to enact the regulation last year.The board unanimously approved the petition under former Gov.

Glenn Youngkin, but the regulatory action was withdrawn in July after Spanberger took office."It’s really sad for me because I had the petition filed a year ago, and Youngkin approved it and wanted to take the next step and protect female athletes and female spaces in Virginia," György told OutKick.VIRGINIA GOVERNOR ABIGAIL SPANBERGER QUIETLY ROLLS BACK YOUNGKIN'S PLANS TO PROTECT GIRLS' SPORTSVirginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy swims in the 400 IM consolation finals during the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022, at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga.(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)"I don’t like to see that people are using their power, especially political power, to make decisions and hurt other people.

And also, it’s coming from a female."György added that she was "really disappointed" by the decision.György filed the petition in April 2025 alongside former Roanoke College swimmers Lily Mullens and Carter Satterfield.It asked the Board of Health to adopt regulations preventing biological males from participating on female-only athletic teams or entering female-designated spaces where women and girls could be undressing.After receiving more than 2,300 public comments, the board voted 14–0 in August 2025 to begin the regulatory process.

The Youngkin administration subsequently approved a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action, which was published that November.SUPREME COURT MAKES RULING ON TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN'S SPORTSAbigail Spanberger, governor-elect of Virginia, during an inauguration ceremony at Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, US, on Saturday, Jan.17, 2026.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on Saturday, becoming the state's first female leader.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)How...