“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,” the IOC said in a ruling on Thursday, March 26
A new policy decision by the International Olympic Committee is drawing global attention as preparations continue for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The update focuses on eligibility rules for participation in women’s events.
“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,” the IOC said in a news release.
All athletes competing in the female category will be required to take a mandatory gene test in advance of competition, the IOC added. The test, which requires screening by saliva, a cheek swab or blood sample, is currently used in track and field, according to The New York Times.
“As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said. “The policy that we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. 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. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
She continued, “Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect, and athletes will need to be screened only once in their lifetime. There must be clear education around the process and counseling available, alongside expert medical advice.” The policy will be applicable for the Los Angeles Games and beyond, protecting “fairness, safety and integrity in the female category.”
The new guidelines are not retroactive and don’t apply to any “grassroots or recreational” programs, the governing body said.
Several athletes are pushing back in the wake of the new policy.
“Y’all already know where I stand on this but this policy is so f—ing stupid and not solving a problem that exists,” Nikki Hiltz, the American Olympian middle-distance runner who identifies as transgender nonbinary, wrote on their Instagram Stories. “I don’t know who needs to hear this but ZERO trans women competed in the Paris Olympics. Only ONE trans woman weightlifter competed in Tokyo 2021 and she did not win a medal.”
“Reintroducing genetic screening is not progress — it is walking backward,” South African runner Caster Semenya, who won gold in the 800 meters at World Championships in 2009, was born and identifies as female but is currently barred from competition due to naturally possessing high levels of testosterone, told the Times. “This is just exclusion with a new name.”
Hiltz continued, “Can we please stop obsessing over trans people? And [I don’t know] maybe focus our time, energy and resources into real problems women’s sports face?”
