In a move that will change who can compete in the female category at the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has announced a new policy. The rule bars transgender women and athletes with differences in sex development from competing in female events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and at future Games.

What the IOC has decided

The IOC says athletes who were assigned male at birth and those with certain genetic differences will not be eligible for the female category at elite Olympic events. Kirsty Coventry, the IOC president, put it plainly: "It would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category."

One-off SRY gene screening

Under the new rules, anyone who wants to compete in the female category must take a single SRY gene screening test. The SRY gene is linked to male sex development. The IOC says the test is accurate and can be done with a cheek swab, saliva sample, or blood draw, and that athletes will need to be screened only once in their lives.

Who this affects

  • Transgender women who transitioned from male to female.
  • DSD athletes in which someone was classified as female at birth but has male chromosomes or male-range testosterone.

Why the IOC says it made this choice

The IOC frames the decision as science-driven, aimed at protecting fairness and safety for female competitors. Their document claims that going through male puberty gives lasting physical advantages. They list estimated performance differences, saying there is about 10 to 12 percent advantage in many running and swimming events, 20 percent or more in throwing and jumping, and in some explosive power sports the advantage can exceed 100 percent. The IOC also states that many of these athletes have testes and male-range testosterone and are androgen-sensitive, meaning their bodies respond to that testosterone during development and beyond.

The policy states that, in the Olympic context where tiny margins matter, a sex-based female category is necessary to keep competition fair, safe, and credible.

How the IOC says the test will be handled

The organization says the SRY screen is not intrusive and represents reliable evidence of male sex development. It also says there will be education, counseling, and medical advice available for athletes going through the screening process.

Scope and limits of the policy

The IOC is urging all international sports federations and governing bodies that run Olympic events to adopt the policy. It stressed that the rule applies to elite sport only and is not meant for grassroots or recreational programs.

A short history note

Transgender and DSD participation in women’s sport has been debated for over a decade. In 2021, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender woman to compete at the Olympics. There have also been high-profile cases of DSD athletes winning medals, including Caster Semenya in the 800 meters and the boxer Imane Khelif in Paris in 2024. These cases have fed the wider discussion about how to balance inclusion with fairness and safety at the highest level of competition.

What to expect next

International federations now face a decision: adopt the IOC rule or set their own standards. The change is focused on elite-level events, but it will shape selection policies, qualification rules, and the careers of athletes aiming for the Olympics. The IOC says the policy is based on a scientific consensus that male developmental advantages persist even after hormone treatments, and that this makes a sex-based female category necessary for elite competition.

This is a major shift in Olympic policy, and it will likely prompt legal, medical, and ethical debates in the years leading up to Los Angeles 2028.