KUALA LUMPUR — Transgender women will not be able to compete in women’s sports events, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in genew regulations issued yesterday.
Only “biological females” will be allowed to compete in women’s events, and IOC will reintroduce tester for gender to determine eligibility.
This will take effect from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics onwards, IOC said in a statement.
“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one-time SRY gene screening,” the IOC said in a statement.
Screening will be carried out through a saliva sample, cheek swab or blood sample, and will only be done once in an athlete’s lifetime.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said the policy is “based on science and has been led by medical experts”, and is important for fairness given that “even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat”.
“It is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe,” she said.
The policy is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programmes.
However, the policy can be taken as a “guiding consideration” for international federations and sports governing bodies, IOC said.- March 27, 2026