IOC bans transgender women from competing in women’s categories

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this Thursday a new policy on the protection of the women’s category in Olympic sport that will apply starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and that will not be retroactive, and that will prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s categories.

According to the IOC in a statement, eligibility for any women’s category event at the Olympic Games or any other event it sponsors, including individual and team sports, “is now limited to biological women, which is determined on the basis of a single test of the SRY gene” and detecting its “absence or presence.”

“This policy, based on evidence and supported by experts, and applicable beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, protects equity, safety and integrity in the women’s category. It is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports program,” the committee noted.

The IOC indicated that “based on scientific evidence”, it considers that the presence of the SRY gene is “permanent” and “constitutes highly accurate proof that an athlete has experienced male sexual development.” Furthermore, he emphasizes that the detection of this gene through saliva, oral swab or blood samples “is a minimally invasive method compared to other possible methods.”

In this sense, athletes who test negative in this SRY gene test “permanently meet the eligibility criteria of this policy to compete in the female category.” “Unless there are reasons to believe that a negative result is erroneous, this test will be carried out only once in a lifetime,” the IOC stressed.

“With the rare exception” of athletes diagnosed with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CISA) or other rare differences/disorders in sexual development (DSD) who do not benefit from the anabolic and/or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone, “no athlete with a positive SRY test result is eligible to compete in the women’s category in an IOC event,” said the body chaired by Kirsty Coventry.

“Athletes with a positive SRY test result, including XY transgender athletes and androgen-sensitive

Kirsty Coventry stated that, “as a former athlete,” she believes “strongly in the right of all Olympic athletes to participate in fair competition.” “The policy we have announced is based on science and has been developed by medical experts. In the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can make the difference between victory and defeat. Therefore, it is absolutely evident that it would not be fair for biological men to compete in the women’s category. Furthermore, in some sports, it simply would not be safe,” he said.

“All athletes should be treated with dignity and respect, and will only need to undergo a medical examination once in their lifetime. There should be clear information about the process and advice available, along with expert advice,” the leader added.

The IOC recalled that it was commissioned to develop a policy on the protection of the women’s category in the Olympic context that would reflect the conclusions of the working group on this issue, various consultations of the organization and “consideration of recent developments, including those related to international human rights law.”

“This policy was developed based on the universally accepted premise that the inclusion of a women’s category is necessary so that both men and women have equal access to elite sport,” the IOC stated, underlining that this policy has been guided by its “modern objectives in terms of equality, to enhance the Olympic value and by visibility and inspiration.”