Transgender women are set to be prohibited from participating in women’s events at the Olympic Games. The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) comes after a scientific review highlighting the inherent physical advantages of individuals born as males.
According to a report by The Times, the IOC is expected to unveil its new policy early next year. Under the leadership of new president Kirsty Coventry, the IOC aims to safeguard the integrity of female competitions. Dr. Jane Thornton, the committee’s medical and scientific director and a former Olympic rower from Canada, presented the initial review findings to IOC members in Lausanne, Switzerland recently.
Thornton reportedly emphasized that scientific evidence indicates enduring physical benefits for athletes who were born male, even after undergoing treatment to lower testosterone levels. Attendees described the presentation as objective and based on facts, receiving positive feedback from IOC members.
The current stance on Olympics.com asserts that athletes meeting eligibility criteria as set by their International Federation (IF) should not face discrimination based on gender identity or sex characteristics when qualifying for the Games.
Controversy arose during the boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics when gold medals were awarded to Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, despite both being disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships due to alleged gender eligibility issues. The World Boxing, the IOC-recognized international boxing federation post-Paris, has now instituted compulsory sex testing. Khelif is required to undergo testing before being permitted to compete in the female category.
The IOC is anticipated to reveal its new policy in early 2026, possibly coinciding with the Winter Olympics session in February. Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe elected as president this year, stressed the importance of protecting female categories while considering sport-specific differences and engaging with relevant stakeholders and international federations.
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