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Basketball Hall of Famer and WNBA legend Sue Bird has rejected the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) claim that its policy change was intended to protect women’s sports.
Bird agreed with U.S. Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as nonbinary transgender, and wrote that the IOC was “not solving a problem that exists.” The former Seattle Storm star said the policy was just “scaremongering.”
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Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird pose for a photo during the 2025 WNBA All Star Skills Challenge at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 18, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
“That kind of sums it up for me, because what’s being presented as a huge problem is that we need to protect women. That’s not the case,” Bird said while speaking to Megan Rapinoe on their podcast “A Touch More.” “This is fear mongering, and you’ve been calling out the (Trump) administration for votes. That’s all it is. That’s all it ever was, in my opinion.
“I think the other part of it is a reminder. What we’ve always talked about and focused on is that if you open that door, if you open it, it will open and you won’t police women’s bodies at every level. I feel very sad about that. So, going back to where we started, I just want to send so much love to the trans community.”
Earlier in the episode, Rapinoe tore apart IOC policy and denied that it was rooted in science.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry speaks to volunteers, ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Daniele Mascolo/Pool Photo via AP)
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The IOC stated that “eligibility for any women’s category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined based on a one-time SRY gene screening.”
The organization added that the policy was “evidence-based” and “informed by experts”. The test can be done via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample.
A presentation at a World Athletics panel in Tokyo in September revealed that 50 to 60 athletes with male biological advantages have been finalists in the women’s category at world and continental championships since 2000.
Retired American soccer player Megan Rapinoe looks on before a SheBelieves Cup match against Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 7, 2026 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
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The panel was led by World Athletics’ head of health and science, Dr. Stéphane Bermon, who said sex testing was necessary due to an “over-representation” of DSD (differences of sexual development) athletes among the finalists, according to multiple reports.
