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William & Mary is reinstating three women’s sports in order to comply with Title IX requirements, the school announced Monday.
Women’s programs in swimming and diving, as well as gymnastics and volleyball, will continue. As of now, four men’s sports – indoor and outdoor track, gymnastics and swimming – will still be eliminated at the conclusion of the 2020-21 academic year.
On Sept. 3,the school announced that seven varsity sports would be cut in a cost-saving measure as the athletics department faced budget deficits exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. This led to considerable backlash from the university community, including legal action, as well as the resignation of athletics director Samantha Huge.
According to a statement from the university, the decision to reinstate the three women’s programs was made when an internal review determined that the department would not meet gender-equity standards.
“We know that this process has caused pain,” interim director of athletics Jeremy Martin said. “We will need to continue rebuilding trust by our actions going forward. We have moved quickly over the last week to meet with students, coaches and alumni groups supporting alternative solutions for all the affected teams. We remain committed to that effort.”