After months of speculation, the International Olympic Committee announced Thursday that it is barring transgender women athletes from competing in the Olympics.
The committee said the new policy applies to all IOC sports programs, both individual and team. Eligibility for women’s sports will be determined by screening for the SRY gene, a test that World Athletics adopted last year.
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The IOC said it based its policy on scientific findings that the presence of the SRY gene proves an athlete “experienced male sex development.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts,” IOC President Kirsty Coventry said. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category.”
The committee said there are some rare exceptions to this rule. For example, athletes with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome or other differences in sex development can still compete in women’s Olympic sports if they don’t benefit from what the IOC deems the performance-enhancing effects of testosterone.
The IOC said athletes who test positive for the SRY gene can compete in any male, mixed or open category or in sports that don’t break up athletes by sex.
Testing requires athletes to submit saliva or blood samples and is less intrusive than other methods, according to the IOC. Olympic officials said the test is a “once-in-a-lifetime” screening unless they believe there may have been an error.
Why was this created?
The IOC said it created the new policy to ensure both sexes have the ability to compete in elite sports. However, it’s unclear how many Olympic athletes would be affected. Previous reports indicate that about 0.001% of Olympic athletes identify as transgender.
Nevertheless, transgender athletes in female sports have become a major political issue — especially in the U.S., the host of the next Olympic Games.
In 2025, before the IOC released its new policy, President Donald Trump said he would require athletes hoping to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to undergo genetic tests to prevent transgender athletes.
“But there will be a very, very strong form of testing, and if the test doesn’t come out appropriately, they won’t be in the Olympics,” Trump said at the time.
