U.S. President Donald Trump has launched his latest escalation against Harvard University, stripping the school of its ability to enroll foreign students by decertifying its eligibility for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. This would force thousands of students to transfer out of one of the world’s most prestigious universities, including a number of student athletes.
The move is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to pull Harvard in line with administration policies after previously freezing over $2 billion in research grants. Harvard, which at more than $53 billion has the largest university endowment in the world, has resisted the pressure from the government and sued for those grants to be restored. Several other universities have been willing to shift policy in response to similar threats from the administration.
More specific to swimming, the move would potentially impact three returning members of Harvard’s men’s swimming & diving team and four returning members of Harvard’s women’s swimming & diving team.
Underclassmen with international hometowns on Harvard’s 2024-2025 Swimming & Diving rosters
| Swimmer | Squad | Class (24-25) |
Listed Hometown
|
| Kristin Helga Hakonardottir | Women’s Swimming | Sophomore |
Kopavogur, Iceland
|
| Blythe Wieclawek | Women’s Swimming | Sophomore |
Oro-Medonte, Canada
|
| Nina Janmyr | Women’s Diving | Junior | Hjarup, Sweden |
| Giulia Viacava | Women’s Swimming | Freshman | Monaco |
| Felipe Baffico | Men’s Swimming | Sophomore | Santiago, Chile |
| Mert Iravul | Men’s Swimming | Freshman | Ankara, Turkey |
| Filip Lanyi | Men’s Swimming | Sophomore |
Piestany, Slovakia
|
Janmyr scored 26 points individually, Viacava scored 19 points individually, and Hakonardottir scored 1 point individually at the 2025 Ivy League Championships.
The men’s team also has at least four international swimmers slated to join them next season: Ognjen Pilipovic of Serbia, Maro Miknic and Vito Rados of Croatia, and Mark Iltsisin of Estonia. Miknc was the silver medalist in the 100 fly at the 2024 European Junior Swimming Championships.
Other sports would be hit much harder, as outlined here by the Associated Press. Ten out of 13 members of the men’s squash team and more than half of the women’s soccer team, for example, list international home towns, as do seven of the eight members of the men’s heavyweight rowing team.
With 42 varsity teams and 919 student-athletes, Harvard has the largest athletics department. A report last month by Sportico found that 21% of the players on Harvard’s rosters for the 2024-2025 season listed international hometowns, though some could be U.S. citizens or green card holders.
The immediate impact would be on F-1 and J-1 visa holders, the visa types specifically for international students, but students holding other visa types may not be impacted. Harvard had nearly 7,000 students holding F-1 and J-1 visas in the 2024-2025 school year.
The NCAA Transfer Portal has already closed for swimming & diving athletes, and the NCAA has not responded to a request for whether that deadline would be extended for these athletes.
Between Yu Zidi, the Enhanced games, and now Trump tomfoolery affecting international swimmers it’s been a crazy week in the swimming world
My inbox has never felt so alive.
Anyone who thinks that the courts can stop this is delusional – this administration has no regard for court orders and has defied several of them. The rule of law is dead and buried. Way to go MAGA – you’ve sold us out to a conman.
Get out and vote in 2026.
Agreed. Trump has ignored judge orders supreme court decisions, and yet no consequences.
Wake up America! Before it’s too late.
Tommy Boy – it was too late in Nov. of 24′ – if they have their way, there will be more more open and fair elections.
I would vote Cameron McChoker as a write in for President over this orange loser
We live in a clown show and are a laughingstock to the world
If you are an American citizen, you are able to write in whoever you wish during elections. At present time and of 1338 more days, President Trump is the winner of the election and the most powerful man in the world.
We, the majority of American citizens, are NOW living in a great, getting greater Republic by the day.
You are more delusional than Brett H my guy
Wake up
This isn’t going to hold water and hopefully gets shot down in the courts. But it does shed light on the fact that these institutions of higher learning have a responsibility to protect all students. A&B is not “freedom of speech”.
Harvard is going to fight this in the courts, and other universities and large corporations should band together and fight back against US gov.’s illegal actions. Those law firms and universities (Columbia) who capitulated quickly are just going to be further abused by US government. Lets see who’s got guts to fight.
Harvard will for sure fight this in the courts – I don’t think they have any choice but to – and I think we all know by now that the Trump administration doesn’t always follow through on these sorts of things. But in the time it takes to resolve itself, that sure is a lot of students left in limbo.
Columbia is rethinking its position, from what I understand. Harvard and Columbia (as much as I dislike Columbia – nope, didn’t apply) have to fight the government for unilaterally canceling contracts that were entered into in good faith. Trump has no problem fighting since he’s not fighting with his money. When he sues using his money, he rarely allows the suits to get to the discovery phase. He has nothing to lose but our money.
Europe should create an organisation like NCAA in the European University
In swimming, athlétic , perhaps gymnastic et other pure olympic sport.
I think too, what LA 28 will seem Berlin 1936 🇺🇲😭😭😭😭
Dvojpáček a šlapátek je dostatek, máme také hodně klapátek a Miroslav Játro to vše má dobře zaevidované.
I really hope Harvard stands their ground and fights back, but I’m nervous that they’ll cave-in like 60 Minutes seems to be doing. These are scary times.
The media outlets have corporate owners with other businesses that could be impacted. And in the case of CBS / Paramount, I think there is a merger on the line that needs federal approval. That is the reason you saw ABC cave. It’s absolutely chilling.
Harvard trained a high percentage of the top lawyers in the world. There won’t be a shortage of people stepping up to fight this for them. I can’t believe Trump is actually challenging them like this, although the way CBS and ABC caved, along with some of the top law firms he’s shaking down to either get free legal service or at the very least trying to keep them from representing cases against him,… Read more »