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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will adopt a new policy banning transgender female athletes from competing against biological women, according to multiple reports. The policy would supposedly cover people with differences in sexual development (DSD).
Current IOC policy leaves it up to each sport’s governing body to develop policies governing transgender athletes. But as the IOC changed direction, The Times of London reported Monday that its policies would change as well.
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A general view of the Olympic rings in front of the Olympia delle Tofane ski slope during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics – 1 year before the event on February 6, 2025 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Francesco Scacianoce/Getty Images)
IOC President Kirsty Coventry called for the women’s category to be “protected” in June and received “massive support” from IOC members to do the same.
“We understand that there will be differences depending on the sport… but it was very clear from members that we need to protect the women’s category, first and foremost to ensure fairness,” Coventry said at the time.
“But we need to do it with a scientific approach and including international federations who have already done a lot of work in this area.”
The next policy change will likely be announced at the IOC session in February ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy and comes after a presentation by Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director, last week, according to the Times.
Kirsty Coventry reacts after being announced as the new IOC President during the 144th session of the International Olympic Committee in Costa Navarino, western Greece, Thursday March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanasis Stavrakis)
NEW OLYMPICS CHIEF CALLS TO “PROTECT” WOMEN’S CATEGORY AMID GLOBAL WAVE OF TRANS ATHLETES
Thornton’s presentation reportedly showed there were physical benefits in men, including those who took treatments to reduce testosterone levels. A source told the newspaper the presentation was “very scientific” and emotionless.
Athletes with DSD — those who were raised as women but born with masculine traits — should be covered by the new policy, according to the Times. Olympic boxing has seen two major controversies regarding athletes failing gender tests.
Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting won gold medals in their respective women’s weight categories despite a major outcry. Khelif insisted they were women. Lin has not commented on the controversy since the Olympics ended.
Imane Khelif (red) of team Algeria competes against Anna Luca Hamori (blue) of team Hungary in the women’s 66kg quarterfinal boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris Nord Arena, in Villepinte, France, August 3, 2024. Khelif wins the match and advances to the semifinals. (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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World Boxing has since implemented mandatory sex testing for its competitors and Khelif will not be able to compete until the test is completed.
PK Press Club Digital has contacted the IOC for comment.
