League president Bob Kickner said the league reassessed possible courses for safety, security, staffing, course conditions and the ability to manage the event amid heightened tensions around the sport. He said the change was intended to give student athletes the best conditions for a successful, competitive championship.

The Camas School District owns the campus, allowing district security officers to patrol the property. Five district security officers and two Camas police vehicles were present at a meet Tuesday. The new course also has less tree cover, making runners more visible.

Camas is one of four schools entered in the championship, alongside Skyview, Battle Ground and Union. The entries for the district meet had not been made public as of Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The venue change follows weeks of controversy surrounding a transgender sophomore on the Camas High School girls cross-country team. Online criticism of her participation has drawn national attention. At a Sept. 15 dual meet, athletes and a parent from Skyview protested her participation. On Tuesday, about a dozen Camas runners walked away from the starting line in protest.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has said it has not received an eligibility challenge and that its gender identity policy does not bar an athlete from switching categories during a season. The Camas School District has also said the rules were not violated. The runner competed in the boys category earlier in the season before joining the girls team. She is a minor and is not being identified.

Washington voters are scheduled to consider Initiative 638 in November. The measure, sponsored by Let’s Go Washington, would bar transgender girls from K-12 girls sports and require students to provide medical documentation verifying what the initiative calls their “biological sex.”