Only biological females will be allowed to compete in women's events at the Olympics going forward.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Monday that its Executive Board adopted a policy banning transgender athletes from competing in women's events starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Under the new policy, eligibility for all women's events — including individual and team competitions — at the Olympics or other IOC events will be granted exclusively to "biological females."
The IOC said it will use a single SRY gene test — a gene on the Y chromosome responsible for developing male characteristics — to determine whether a participant has undergone male sex development.
A negative test result will permanently satisfy the eligibility requirements for women's events. A positive result will bar the athlete from competing in women's events at IOC-hosted competitions, except in rare cases involving diagnosed differences of sex development (DSD).
The IOC decided to apply the policy starting with the 2028 LA Olympics. The policy will not be applied retroactively and will not extend to amateur or recreational sports programs. The IOC emphasized that the new criteria are designed to ensure fairness, safety, and integrity within women's events.
"At the Olympics, the slightest difference in ability can determine victory or defeat. It is therefore clear that biological males competing in women's events is not fair," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said. "In some sports, it is even directly linked to athlete safety."
The IOC's announcement of the new eligibility criteria for female athletes aligns with U.S. regulations governing the LA Olympics. U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February last year to "keep men out of women's sports."
The trend in international sports has moved in the same direction. Major governing bodies including World Athletics and World Aquatics have already banned athletes who underwent male puberty from competing in women's events. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, fierce gender controversies erupted over boxing gold medalists Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan.