Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events
The International Olympic Committee has banned transgender athletes from competing in all female Olympic events.
Listen to this article
“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 International Olympic Committee said.
It is unclear if any transgender athletes are currently competing at the Olympic level but no woman who transitioned from being born male competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
An athlete's sexuality will be determined by a "one‑time SRY gene screening.”
Read more: Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson smashes 400m PB as World Indoor title bid gathers pace
The International Olympic Committee announces new Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport.
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 26, 2026
Read: https://t.co/QcU5IVxyTi pic.twitter.com/3brHorx1k8
It comes after Donald Trump signed an executive order saying that no transgender athletes can compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“It is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programs,” the IOC added.
Two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya, who has been diagnosed with differences in sex development, will be affected by this decision.
The IOC, pointing to its own research, says that being born male gives athletes advantages that are retained post-transition.
"Males experience three significant testosterone peaks: in utero, in mini-puberty of infancy and beginning in adolescent puberty through adulthood," its research claims.
Thursday’s announcement comes after an IOC review conducted between September 2024 and this month that featured consultations with experts and athletes, including those who will potentially be affected.
There was huge controversy at the Paris Olympics in 2024 surrounding boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, both of whom were alleged to have previously failed sex verification tests but went on to win gold medals.T
The IOC added: “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat, so it’s 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.
“Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect and athletes will only need to be screened once in their lifetime. There must be clear education around the process with counselling available alongside expert medical advice.”