IOC announces new policy limiting Olympic women’s sport to biological female athletes

(NBC, KYMA) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday only biological female athletes, whose gender has been determined by a one-time gene-screening test, will now be eligible to take part in female category events at the Olympic Games.

The new rules essentially stop transgender athletes from competing in female category events at the Olympics.

They had previously been eligible to compete at the games once cleared by their respective federations.

Following an 18-month consultation phase, the ICO unveiled its policy for the Olympic Games, Youth Olympics and Games Qualifiers.

It is widely expected to be adopted by International Sports Federations and become a universal rule for competitors in female elite sports, after years of fragmented regulation that led to major controversies.

All athletes wanting to qualify or take part in female category events from the LA2028 Olympics onwards will have to undergo an SRY gene test to determine their eligibility.

The screening will be conducted via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample and is unintrusive compared to other methods, the IOC said, And will be done only once in the athlete's career.

SRY stands for Sex-determining Region Y gene.

The Olympic body had long declined to apply any universal rule on transgender participation in the Olympics and in 2021 instructed international federations to come up with their own guidelines.

New IOC president Kirsty Coventry did a U-turn immediately after taking over in June last year, saying her organization would take the lead for a uniform approach.

The new rules have no retroactive power and no impact on grassroots or amateur sports, but there are exceptions, the IOC said, for rare cases of sex development.