Transgender women are set to be barred from competing in all female events at the Olympic Games, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This follows a scientific review that highlighted the enduring physical advantages of those born male.
The Times reports that the IOC is expected to announce this new policy early next year. Until now, the IOC’s guidance to Olympic sports has been that transgender women can compete with reduced testosterone levels, leaving it to individual sports to decide. However, under new president Kirsty Coventry, who has pledged to protect the female category, this stance will change.
The report also states that the committee’s medical and scientific director, Dr Jane Thornton, presented the initial findings of the review to IOC members at a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland last week.
Thornton, a Canadian former Olympic rower, reportedly told those present that scientific evidence showed there were physical advantages to being born male that remained with athletes, including those who’ve had treatment to reduce their testosterone levels.
A source is quoted as saying: « It was a very scientific, factual and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence. »
Another source with knowledge of the meeting said that there’d been hugely positive feedback from IOC members.
A current statement on the Olympics website reads: « The IOC supports the participation of any athlete who has qualified and met the eligibility criteria to compete in the Olympic Games as established by their IF.
« The IOC will not discriminate against an athlete who has qualified through their IF, on the basis of their gender identity and/or sex characteristics. »
Controversy erupted during the boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics when two boxers, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting, both clinched gold medals. This was despite both being disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships for allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.
World Boxing – the new international boxing federation recognised by the IOC since Paris, has now implemented mandatory sex testing. They have stated that Khelif won’t be able to compete in the female category until she undergoes one.
It is suggested that the IOC is set to announce their new policy in early 2026, possibly coinciding with its session at the Winter Olympics in February.
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