The International Olympic Committee has announced new eligibility rules that will restrict participation in women’s Olympic events to biological females, introducing compulsory gene testing ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In a statement released on Thursday, the IOC said the new policy is aimed at protecting “fairness, safety and integrity in the female category.”
The policy will require athletes to undergo a one-time screening for the SRY gene, which is associated with male biological development and is found on the Y chromosome.
The new regulation will take effect at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and will not be applied retroactively.
According to the IOC, the rule will affect transgender women and some athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), preventing them from competing in women’s events at the Olympics.
IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, said the decision was based on scientific and medical recommendations, stressing the need to ensure fair competition.
“At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. It would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category, and in some sports it would not be safe,” she said.
The IOC explained that its decision followed recommendations from a working group which concluded that male biological characteristics provide performance advantages in sports involving strength, speed, power and endurance.
The policy follows a similar move by World Athletics, which previously introduced comparable eligibility requirements for track and field competitions.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from advocacy groups, including LGBTQ+ rights organisation Stonewall, which warned that the policy could increase division and discourage participation in sports at grassroots level.
The issue of gender eligibility in sports has been a controversial topic for decades, particularly in relation to athletes with differences in sex development and transgender athletes.
The IOC said the new policy is part of broader efforts to maintain competitive fairness while ensuring athlete safety, but the debate over gender eligibility in international sports is expected to continue ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
