The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the women’s category of Olympic sports will be limited to biological females from 2028.
A “once-in-a-lifetime” sex test will determine eligibility, preventing transgender women and those with differences in sexual development (DSD) who have gone through male puberty from competing. The new rules will be in place for the Los Angeles Olympics.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said the policy was “led by medical experts”.
Eligibility Determined by SRY Gene Screening
The IOC will use a screening to detect the SRY gene – the sex-determining region Y gene – which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop. According to the IOC, SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive.
Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy the policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the female category.
The IOC has stated that unless there is reason to believe that a negative reading is in error, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime test.
Inclusion in Other Categories
Athletes who fail the test will continue to be included in all other classifications for which they qualify.
They are eligible for any male category, including in a designated male slot within any mixed category, and any open category, or in sports and events that do not classify athletes by sex.
Background to the Decision
Until this announcement, the IOC left sex eligibility regulations to the governing bodies of individual sports, rather than applying a universal approach.
While athletics, swimming, cycling and rowing have brought in bans, many others allowed transgender women to compete in female competition if they lowered their testosterone levels.
The ban will also cover almost all athletes with a DSD. This is a rare condition in which a person’s hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics.
Exemption for CAIS Athletes
There is an one exemption in the policy for DSD athletes with a rare condition – complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), which means they have not gone through male puberty.
This is a hugely significant decision by the IOC following years of controversy over the participation of transgender and DSD athletes in female competition.