The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has unveiled a new policy under its "framework to protect the female category in Olympic sports," which excludes transgender women from competing in women's events. The committee will utilize a one-time test for the presence of the SRY gene to determine eligibility for the female category. These new rules are set to take effect starting with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States.
In a statement, the IOC declared, "In the Olympic Games and any other competitions organized by the IOC, participation in female category events, including individual and team sports, is now permitted only for biological women identified based on a one-time SRY gene test." The committee, citing scientific research, asserts that the presence of the SRY gene is evidence that a female athlete has undergone male puberty development. This gene can be checked via a saliva or blood sample.
If the test yields a negative result, the athlete gains lifelong eligibility to compete in women's events. The IOC allows for several exceptions, such as if an athlete is diagnosed with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. Athletes with a positive test result will be assigned to other categories: male, mixed (but they may only compete as males), and athletes without sex classification.
The new rules will be enforced from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics onward and will not apply to amateur or mass-participation events. In the United States, participation of transgender athletes in women's competitions has been banned since February 2025, one of the first executive orders by Donald Trump, who allegedly promised to push for a similar ban at the IOC level.
A special working group within the IOC reviewed scientific studies and reached a "unanimous conclusion" that "the male sex provides an advantage in all competitions and events where strength, power, or endurance are important." The group also conducted surveys of athletes through online and extended interviews. Now, the new rules must be adopted by individual sports federations and national Olympic committees.
According to Associated Press data, the exact number of transgender women who have participated in Olympic competitions is unknown. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, there were no transgender athletes whose sex was assigned male at birth. In the 2021 Tokyo competitions, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who transitioned at age 35, participated but did not win any medals.
The issue has sparked intense debate: supporters of the IOC's approach consider the genetic test the fairest solution (unlike testosterone testing adopted by some federations), while opponents claim that even such a test is an invasive procedure with a high risk of erroneous results. Recently, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, a group of scientists labeled sex verification testing as "a step backward and a harmful anachronism," arguing that mandatory testing violates human rights, could stigmatize athletes, and lead to psychological issues. The IOC previously used the SRY gene test in the 1980s but abandoned it in the 1990s due to false-positive results.
Source: kun.uz