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The International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday that only biological female athletes will now be eligible to compete in women’s events at the Olympic Games. Eligibility will be determined through a one-time SRY gene test, which the IOC says provides highly accurate evidence of male sex development.
This move comes as part of the IOC’s effort to standardize rules for female category competitions, after years of fragmented regulations and high-profile controversies regarding transgender participation. Previously, international federations set their own guidelines, and transgender athletes could compete once cleared by their respective governing bodies.
New IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who took office in June last year, reversed this approach, emphasizing fairness and safety. “Even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” she stated. “It is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In some sports, it would also be unsafe.”
The new policy applies only to elite Olympic competition and does not affect grassroots or amateur sports. The IOC confirmed it has no retroactive effect on past events. Notably, only a few openly transgender athletes, such as Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand, have participated in Olympic competitions in a gender category different from their sex assigned at birth.
Meanwhile, U.S. regulations align with the IOC’s approach: in February 2025, former President Donald Trump signed an order barring transgender athletes from competing in female sports at school, collegiate, and professional levels, ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
