The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is moving closer to potentially banning transgender women from competing in female categories across all sports, a proposal that was a key part of IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s election campaign.
The Times reported that the ban could be officially announced as early as next year. However, the IOC told the BBC that discussions are ongoing and no final decision has been made. Despite this, sources indicate that the likely outcome is the introduction of a ban.
Last week, the IOC’s medical and scientific director provided members with an update on the working group tasked with evaluating the policy. Coventry, a former seven-time Olympic medallist, has emphasized that the IOC must “play a leading role” in these discussions and that the working group, composed of experts and international federations, will seek consensus on the matter.
Global Context and Precedents
In recent years, multiple sports organizations have restricted transgender women from elite female competitions, citing concerns over fairness and safety:
- World Rugby (2020): Barred transgender women from elite and international female competitions.
- World Aquatics (formerly FINA, 2022): Prevents transgender women who have undergone male puberty from competing in women’s elite races.
- British Triathlon (2022): Introduced an “open” category for transgender athletes.
- Rugby Football League & Rugby Football Union (2022): Prohibited transgender women in female-only games.
- World Athletics (2023): Banned transgender women from female international events.
Additionally, in the United States, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February preventing transgender women from competing in female categories, including at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with potential visa restrictions for athletes attempting to participate.
Past Controversies
The participation of transgender athletes has previously sparked debate:
- Laurel Hubbard (New Zealand) became the first openly transgender woman to compete at the Olympics during Tokyo 2020 in weightlifting. She did not record a successful lift in the women’s +87kg category.
- Imane Khelif (Algeria) won the women’s welterweight boxing gold at Paris 2024 after being cleared by the IOC, despite prior disqualification at the World Championships over a gender eligibility dispute.
The IOC has maintained that athletes are eligible for the women’s division if their passports list them as female. Some reports suggested Khelif may have differences of sexual development (DSD), similar to Caster Semenya, but this could not be confirmed.
