When the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics begin this week, the games will mark the first in which women and men athletes competing on Team USA are guaranteed equal pay and benefits in their sport, under the Equal Pay for Team USA law authored by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

“This 2024 Paris Olympics marks a monumental feat for women’s equality in sports – it’s the first Olympics where women athletes competing on Team USA are guaranteed equal pay and benefits as the men’s team in their sport,” said Sen. Cantwell. “The Equal Pay for Team USA law erases any ambiguity, and now, our talented athletes can compete knowing they will be treated equally on the world stage. We are sending an unequivocal message to all young women and girls who dream of a future in sports: you deserve equal pay, and it is now the law of the land. Go, Team USA!”

The Equal Pay for Team USA law ensures equal pay and benefits for all athletes who represent the United States in global athletic competitions, like the Olympics, Paralympics and the World Cup, regardless of gender. Sens. Cantwell and Capito first introduced the legislation in 2019, after the world-champion U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team sued for equal pay. In 2022, Sens. Cantwell and Capito re-introduced the legislation, along with Sens. Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Lummis (R-Wyo.). On January 5, 2023, President Biden signed the Equal Pay for Team USA Act into law after previously passing unanimously through the U.S. Senate and by a substantial margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. The law went into effect a year later on January 5, 2024, making the Paris 2024 the first Olympics that is subject to the new law.

Before, men and women could be compensated differently for representing Team USA in the same sport. For years, there have been stories – from the women’s national teams in many sports being paid consistently less, to women’s teams flying in coach to games while men’s teams sat in business class, and waiting months for medical reimbursements.  

The Equal Pay for Team USA Law:

• Requires that all athletes representing the United States in global athletic competitions receive equal compensation and benefits in their sport, regardless of gender. It requires equal payment for medical care, travel and expenses.
• Applies to 50 different sports’ national governing bodies, like US Soccer and USA Volleyball, along with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). It also requires USOPC to conduct oversight and report on compliance with the legislation.

The law received outspoken support from the sports community, including US Soccer, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation.

“U.S. women have been at the forefront of the modern Olympic and Paralympic movements for more than 120 years. Female Olympians and Paralympians have trained, excelled, and inspired generations of girls. The Equal Pay for Team USA Act will build upon the USOPC’s established commitment to parity in its support of female and male athletes competing on behalf of the United States, and it will help America continue to lead in advancing equality and opportunity in international sport,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, in 2022 when the legislation passed the Senate.