International Olympic Committee’s New Policy Bans Transgender Women Athletes From Competing in “Female” Categories

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a new policy barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s categories, restricting eligibility to “biological females”. The 10-page document is expected to have rippling effects across the global sports community, particularly for transgender athletes and those on the intersex spectrum.

According to the IOC, from September 2024 to March 2026, the organization reviewed eligibility practices for women’s categories at IOC Events. As part of the review, the IOC formed a working group to examine scientific, medical, and legal developments since 2021 with the aim of “protecting the female category.” From the IOC policy document, this working group consisted of international specialists in sports science, endocrinology, transgender medicine, sports medicine, women’s health, ethics and law, including International Federation Chief Medical Officers.  

The appointed working group concluded that “male sex confers performance advantage” and to ensure fairness and safety across all sports and events, eligibility should be based on biological sex. In addition to what the IOC considers as “XY Transgender athletes”, the restrictive policy also applies to athletes with Disorders of Sex Development or DSDs, whose biological characteristics may not align with typical male or female development.

One notable example of an athlete with DSD is South African two-time Olympic gold medalist, Caster Semenya. She has faced intense scrutiny due to being a female athlete with naturally elevated levels of testosterone. Semenya underwent a series of legal battles after the International Association of Athletics Federations (now World Athletics) barred female runners with DSD from competing in events ranging from 400 meters to one mile. The organization argued that higher testosterone provides an “unfair advantage”. It requires female runners with DSD to undergo testosterone-reducing treatment, which Semenya refuses to do. As a result of these policies, Semenya is currently unable to compete at the international level.

In an official video statement, IOC President Kirsty Coventry acknowledged the sensitivity of the new announcement, “I understand that this is a very sensitive topic. The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interest of athletes at its heart.”

Coventry went on to add, “The scientific evidence is very clear, male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power, or endurance. 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.”

The policy further states that sex will be assessed through screening for the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene, which is normally found on the Y chromosome. The SRY gene is responsible for initiating biological events that lead to the development of testes, the production of testosterone, and typical male development. Conversely, embryos with XX chromosomes generally develop ovaries, which begins female development. 

The SRY gene test will be conducted using a saliva sample, cheek swab, or blood sample. Athletes who test positive for the SRY gene will not be eligible to compete in women’s categories, but may be eligible for men’s categories or any open categories. 

The only eligible exceptions are reserved for athletes diagnosed with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) or “rare DSDs that do not benefit from the anabolic and/or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone”.

However, concerns have been raised about using SRY testing as a “one size fits all” approach. In 2025, following the World Athletics’ decision to mandate genetic testing to verify eligibility for women’s categories, Andrew Sinclair, the scientist who discovered the SRY gene, wrote an opinion piece criticizing this decision. 

“Using SRY to establish biological sex is wrong because all it tells you is whether or not the gene is present. It does not tell you how SRY is functioning, whether a testis has formed, whether testosterone is produced and, if so, whether it can be used by the body.”

Sinclair further highlights the sensitivity of these tests. “If a male lab technician conducts the test he can inadvertently contaminate it with a single skin cell and produce a false-positive SRY result,” Sinclair says. He, along with other experts, advocated to the IOC to remove SRY testing for sex verification at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The new policy aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, which aims to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girl’s school athletics. The order dictates that schools allowing transgender athletes would be violating Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in schools. Under Title IX, schools that engage in discrimination on the basis of sex are not eligible for federal funding. 

In a post on X, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lauded the IOC’s new policy, crediting Trump’s Executive Order for influencing its direction.

Outside of New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who made history at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021) as the first openly transgender woman to compete at the Olympic Games, there are no official records of transgender women participating on the Olympic stage. 

The policy is not retroactive and will be implemented at the LA 2028 Summer Olympics. Currently, transgender men do not face any restrictions from competing in men’s categories at the Olympic level.