IOC bans trans women from female events at the Olympics
President of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry says the policy is based on science
The International Olympic Committee has announced transgender women will be banned from competing as females from the 2028 Games.
Eligibility for any female category at IOC events will now be limited to biological women, with an athlete’s status determined by a one-time screening process.
'The policy is based on science'
Speaking in a video on social media site X, IOC president Kirsty Coventry said: “Today, we the International Olympic Committee have published a policy on the protection of the female category.
“I understand that this is a very sensitive topic. As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear – male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power or endurance.”
The screening process will test for the SRY gene – a gene located on the Y chromosome that initiates male sex determination – via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample.
The new policy will mean most athletes with differences in sex development (DSDs) will also be excluded from competing in female categories.
Thursday’s announcement comes after an IOC review conducted between September 2024 and this month that featured consultations with experts and athletes, including those who will potentially be affected.
There was huge controversy at the Paris Olympics in 2024 surrounding boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, both of whom were alleged to have previously failed sex verification tests but went on to win gold medals.
Coventry added: “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat, so it’s absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports, it would simply not be safe.
“Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect and athletes will only need to be screened once in their lifetime. There must be clear education around the process with counselling available alongside expert medical advice.”
'We have led the way in protecting women's sport'
The IOC had previously left it up to the governing bodies of individual sports to determine eligibility, but this announcement comes amid a growing consensus, with athletics, swimming and cycling all banning transgender women in most instances in recent years.
The move was welcomed by World Athletics, with a spokesman saying: “We have led the way in protecting women’s sport over the last decade.
“Attracting and retaining more girls and women into sport requires a fair and level playing field where there is no biological glass ceiling. This means that gender cannot trump biology. A consistent approach across all sport has to be a good thing.”
A number of British sporting governing bodies, including the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board, also introduced bans following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
The IOC’s new policy claims, at an elite level, male performance advantage is 10-12 per cent in most running and swimming events, more than 20 per cent in most throwing and jumping disciplines and can be greater than 100 per cent in sports that involve explosive power.
The decision ahead of the Los Angeles Games prevents possible conflict between the IOC and United States President Donald Trump, who previously said the US would deny visas for transgender athletes travelling to compete in the Olympics.
Former Olympic swimmer Coventry, who took up the role last summer, told a press conference: “This was a priority for me way before President Trump came into his second term. There’s not been any pressure on us to deliver anything from anybody outside of the Olympic movement.”
The policy will not be universally welcomed, with concerns over equality as well as the accuracy and ethics of sex testing.
'Genetic testing of all competitors isn't the right approach'
Alun Williams, professor of sport and exercise genomics at Manchester Metropolitan University, recently published a paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine arguing against World Athletics’ approach.
He told the Press Association: “There’s appropriate concern about fairness and safety in women’s sport, but genetic testing of all competitors isn’t the right approach.
“There’s no convincing direct evidence that athletes with DSDs have advantages in sport. So genetic testing of all girls/women athletes is based on inference rather than direct evidence, and comes with huge practical and ethical problems.
“For example, revealing life-changing information to a young athlete who didn’t expect it can be devastating for them and their families.
“Genetic testing like this was tried and then abandoned in the 1990s because of all the problems with validity, practicality and ethics.”
'There are still a lot of conversations to be had'
Becky Thompson is an expert on transgender participation in sport - and has been telling Hits Radio Pride the announcement will have larger implications than for those just in professional competition.
Becky said: "We didn't see any trans women compete in Paris 2024, but this will still mark a big shift in how transgender people playing sport will be perceived around the world.
"My big take is that the Olympics are looked at for guidance internationally.
"Governing bodies look to the Olympics for advice, for recommendations, and for any kind of guidance to what they should be doing in their own sports.
"There is very little doubt that this will also impact recreational and grassroots sports, and I think this is something the Olympics should be acutely aware of, especially in how they write these policies and the language that they use.
"I think it's important that we keep transgender people competing and playing recreational and grassroots sports, because sport in general is so important for health and mental wellbeing.
"There's no reason that they should be excluded.
"But likely, other sporting bodies will use these rules by the Olympics as an example, going forward, when it simply doesn't apply to them.
"There are still a lot of conversations to be had about trans women in sport, and there are a lot of grey areas which haven't been covered.
"One thing I think that shouldn't be a grey area is lumping in athletes with DSD into the same conversation as tranegdner women.
"We're really excluding a large section of the population who want to play and compete in sport, when I really think there should be separate research on the topic."
'We will continue to advocate for sport to be played at every level'
The IOC’s policy only applies at elite level, and Coventry added: “Sport is inclusive and it always will be.
“We will continue to advocate for sport to be played at every level, at every age all around the world because we know the benefits, we see the values, especially in today’s world.”
But a spokesperson for LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall said: “Today’s decision will be one that stokes further division in our increasingly polarised world.”