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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday that only “biological females” will be eligible to compete in women’s events at the Olympic Games.
This ruling will bar transgender women from participating.
Under the new policy, which will take effect from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the IOC will reintroduce sex eligibility testing for athletes entering female categories.
The organisation said the measure will apply across all Olympic sports, replacing a previous framework that allowed individual international federations to set their own rules.
The IOC said eligibility for women’s events will be determined through a one-time screening for the SRY gene, which is linked to male sex characteristics.
Testing may be conducted through a saliva sample, cheek swab, or blood test and will only need to be done once in an athlete’s lifetime.
“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.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the new rules were based on scientific advice and developed with the input of medical experts.
“At the Olympic Games even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” Coventry said.
“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 added at a press conference that the policy aims to support fairness, equality, and athlete safety in competition.
Coventry said: “I do feel that this policy is a policy that is supporting equality and fairness and the protection of the safety on the field of play.”
The decision marks a big shift from the IOC’s 2021 guidelines, which gave individual sports federations the authority to determine their own eligibility policies regarding transgender athletes.
Under those rules, several sports allowed transgender women to compete in the female category if they reduced testosterone levels, often through medical treatment.
Some international federations, including those governing swimming, athletics, cycling, and rowing, have already introduced restrictions on transgender women competing in female events.
Track and field’s governing body, World Athletics, welcomed the IOC’s announcement.
“We have led the way in protecting women’s sport over the last decade,” a spokesperson said.
“Attracting and retaining more girls and women into sport requires a fair and level playing field where there is no biological glass ceiling.
“This means that gender cannot trump biology. A consistent approach across all sport has to be a good thing.”
Sex verification testing was first introduced at the 1968 Olympic Games and last used at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before being discontinued following criticism from parts of the scientific community.
The new policy is also expected to affect some athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD), a rare condition in which a person’s hormones, chromosomes, or reproductive anatomy may include both male and female characteristics.
