NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
US Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as non-binary transgender, responded Friday to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) policy banning men from competing in women’s competitions.
The IOC announced its new policy on Thursday. The organization said it would use genetic testing to verify the biological sex of competitors in women’s events.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Nikki Hiltz (United States) after the women’s 1,500 meters final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on September 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“All Olympic athletes competing in women’s sports must now undergo sexual genetic testing,” Hiltz wrote in a post on Instagram Stories. “Attacks on trans people have consistently led to more policing and regulation of ALL women’s bodies. Everyone is hurt by transphobia.
“You all already know where I stand, but this policy is so stupid and doesn’t solve a problem that exists. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but ZERO trans women competed in the Paris Olympics. Only one trans weightlifter competed at Tokyo 2021 and she didn’t medal. Can we please stop obsessing about trans people? And I don’t know, maybe dedicate our time, our energy and resources to the real problems facing women’s sports?”
Hiltz, who won a silver medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships and a gold at the 2019 Pan American Games, competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The IOC said eligibility for events in the women’s category is “now limited to biological females, determined based on a single SRY gene screening.”
“Evidence-based and expert-informed, the policy – applicable from the LA28 Olympic Games – protects fairness, safety and integrity in the women’s category.”
Nikki Hiltz of the United States won the Women’s Wanamaker Mile on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at the Millrose Games in New York. Hiltz won with a time of 4:19.64. (Kevin R. Wexler/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The test can be done via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample.
STEPHEN A SMITH SAYS THERE IS “NO EXCUSE” FOR “BILOGICAL MEN” COMPETING IN WOMEN’S SPORT
The IOC said it made the decision to implement the policy after consulting a group of experts, with the aim of providing equal opportunities for women in sport.
“The policy has been developed on the basis that it is universally recognized that there is a need for a women’s category to allow men and women equal access to elite sport,” the IOC said in a statement.
“It was guided by the IOC’s modern goals of equality (equal opportunities for female athletes in finals, on podiums and at championships), strengthening Olympic value (with women’s and men’s finals in all sports) and visibility and inspiration (celebrating female athletes on the Olympic podium to inspire and represent women and girls around the world).”
IOC President Kirsty Coventry suggested keeping men in women’s sports was “not safe” in the announcement.
“As a former athlete, I believe passionately in the right of all Olympians to compete fairly. The policy we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can make the difference between victory and defeat,” Coventry said.
Klaudia Kazimierska (POL) and Nikki Hiltz (USA) after the women’s 1,500 meters final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on September 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
“So it is absolutely clear that it would not be right for biological males to compete in the women’s category. Furthermore, in some sports it simply would not be safe.”
