WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today questioned the cancellation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women’s golf regional in Baton Rouge, La. The NCAA scheduled this year’s tournament to occur at Louisiana State University’s University Club, but eventually canceled it, claiming that several inches of rainfall made the course “playable but not championship level.”

“The cancellation of the tournament is concerning for several reasons. First, there appear to have been multiple windows during the scheduled tournament when the athletes could have played. . . . Second, the players and their coaches were comfortable with the conditions and did not think they posed any risk to their safety. Third, the tournament has not been rescheduled,” wrote Kennedy. 

“This cancellation appears to be yet another example of how women’s sports are increasingly undervalued in this country. In Washington, D.C., ongoing efforts to undermine Title IX opportunities for women’s athletics would open competition to biological men who identify as women. The inaccurately named ‘Equality Act’ is one such effort. Our daughters and sisters must have opportunities equal to those of men to demonstrate their athletic ability without having their achievements diluted by unfair competition or mismanagement,” continued Kennedy.

“With all this in mind, I request a response detailing whether the NCAA is considering rescheduling the women’s tournament before the upcoming championship. If not, please detail what the NCAA will do to ensure female athletes do not face such an unfair result in the future,” Kennedy concluded.

The letter is available here.