The International Olympic Committee has announced that transgender athletes will no longer be eligible to compete in women's events at the Olympic Games, effective from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Under the new policy, only biological female athletes who pass a one-time SRY gene screening test will be allowed to participate in the female category.
The IOC stated that the presence of the SRY gene, which is fixed throughout life, provides highly accurate evidence of male sex development. The screening will be conducted via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample and will be unintrusive. Athletes with an SRY-positive screen will be excluded from female events, except in rare cases such as complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.
Pride Cup, an advocacy group promoting LGBTQIA+ sports participation, criticized the decision, saying it will make all women targets for harassment and abuse. The new rules mark a reversal from the IOC's previous stance, which left transgender participation policies to individual federations.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry defended the policy, citing fairness and safety. She said it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category and that in some sports it would not be safe. The policy is based on scientific evidence and medical expert input, she added.
A systematic review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that while transgender women have higher lean mass than cisgender women, their physical fitness is comparable, and the evidence does not support theories of inherent athletic advantages. The IOC's new rules do not apply retroactively or to grassroots or amateur sports.
