Olympics announces ban on transgender women in female competition

The International Olympic Committee has announced that 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.

Speaking in a video on the 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.”

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 that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

The IOC’s new policy claims that, 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.