The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday announced that it has banned transgender women and athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) from competing in female category events.
According to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the new policy—which she claimed was backed by science—aims to uphold fairness and safety in women's sports.
“As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition," she said in a statement, noting that it would "not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category".
The IOC chief also pointed out that in some sports, such competition "would not be safe" either.
The new policy decision will apply from the 2028 Summer Olympics (LA28) to be held in Los Angeles.
The Olympics body has also confirmed that all athletes wanting to compete in the female category at the LA28 and future Olympics events would have to undergo a one-time SRY gene screening to prove their biological sex.
This is usually done via a non-instrusive cheek swab or saliva test.
The Sex-determining Region Y gene, often shortened to SRY, is a crucial gene used to help identify the male sex at a genetic level. The IOC stated that it considers the presence of the SRY gene to be fixed throughout life, and thus a reason for a "highly accurate" judgement that an athlete has experienced male sex development, which would rule that athlete out for women's sports in most cases.
"There must be clear education around the process and counselling available, alongside expert medical advice,” Coventry added.
This marks a major development in the issue of transgender and DSD athletes participating in women's sports, centred around identity, biological advantages and medical grey areas.
