Olympic swimmer John Naber, gymnast Peter Vidmar, and wrestlers Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson are among supporters of a petition asking the federal government to reform Title IX compliance policies, particularly as they relate to athletics.

The College Sports Council’s petition says that nearly 5,000 people, including more than 25 U.S. Olympians and 35 NCAA champions, have signed the petition the council initiated on June 23, the 36th anniversary of the adoption of the law. The CSC represents organizations, parents, coaches and alumni who are challenging the application of the federal antidiscrimination law.

The petition, which argues for the survey instrument approved by the federal government as a method of achieving Title IX compliance, urges “common sense reforms to Title IX enforcement that maximize the opportunities of all college athletes regardless of gender.” In March 2005, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a clarification to Title IX policy that allows institutions to use a survey to determine interest among potential student-athletes – and provided schools with a model survey.

Since then, few institutions have publicly used the survey.

Title IX advocates, including the NCAA Executive Committee, have urged schools to discount the survey method of earning compliance with the law, citing flaws in the survey methodology and a shift in the burden to female students to show that they are entitled to equal opportunity.