Transgender women are set to be excluded from participating in female events at the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to implement this ban based on a scientific review highlighting the inherent physical advantages of individuals born male.
According to a report by the Times, the IOC is expected to unveil its new policy early next year. Previously, the IOC allowed transgender women to compete with reduced testosterone levels, leaving the final decision to individual sports federations.
Under the leadership of new president Kirsty Coventry, the IOC is shifting its stance to protect the integrity of the female sports category. Dr. Jane Thornton, the committee’s medical and scientific director and a former Canadian Olympic rower, presented the initial review findings to IOC members at a recent meeting in Switzerland.
The presentation reportedly emphasized the scientific evidence pointing to enduring physical advantages associated with being born male, even after undergoing treatments to lower testosterone levels. Sources described the presentation as factual and well-received by IOC members.
The IOC’s current stance on Olympics.com does not discriminate based on gender identity or sex characteristics for athletes meeting eligibility criteria set by their International Federation (IF). However, controversies arose during the Paris Olympics boxing tournament when gold medals were won by two boxers, Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan, who had previously been disqualified from the World Championships for gender eligibility issues.
World Boxing, the newly recognized international boxing federation by the IOC since the Paris Olympics, has now introduced mandatory sex testing for athletes. Khelif will be required to undergo this testing before being allowed to compete in the female category.
The IOC is expected to announce its updated policy in early 2026, possibly coinciding with the Winter Olympics session in February. Coventry emphasized the importance of protecting the female sports category through a collaborative and scientific approach involving international federations.
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