Olympic women's sport to be limited to 'biological females'
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the new policy was 'based on science' (Luca Bruno) The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday only "biological females" will be allowed to compete in women's events, preventing transgender women from competing. The IOC is re-introducing testing for gender to determine eligibility to take part in women's events from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics onwards. The move will also rule out many athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD).
In a major shift of policy, the IOC is abandoning rules it brought in in 2021 which allowed individual federations to decide their own policy and is instead implementing a policy across all Olympic sports. "Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one-time SRY gene screening," the IOC said in a statement. They will be carried out through a saliva sample, cheek swab or blood sample.
It will be done once in an athlete's lifetime. IOC president Kirsty Coventry said: "The policy we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. "At the Olympic Games even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat.
"So it is 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. " In a press conference later, Coventry added: "I do feel that this policy is a policy that is supporting equality and fairness and the protection of the safety on the field of play.
" - Removes potential Trump clash - The new policy removes a potential source of conflict between the IOC and US President Donald Trump as the Los Angeles Olympics comes onto the horizon. Trump issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sport soon after he came to office. While sports such as swimming, athletics, cycling and rowing have brought in bans, many others have permitted transgender women to compete in the female category if they lowered their testosterone levels, normally through taking a course of drugs.