Human rights and sports organizations have called on the International Olympic Committee to abandon plans to introduce gender testing, Reuters reported.
On the eve of the “Working Group for the Protection of the Female Category” recommended to the International Olympic Committee to introduce universal genetic testing for the gender of all female athletes, as well as to introduce a complete ban on the participation of transgender and intersex athletes.
At the same time, more than 80 legal and sports organizations have spoken out against the introduction of the “gender test”: they joined a joint statement warning the IOC that the introduction of gender testing for female athletes would be a “step back” in ensuring gender equality in sport. In particular, international organizations, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women and the World Medical Association, condemned the “gender test” and related interventions, calling them discriminatory and harmful.
“According to multiple sources, the IOC has been advised to require all female athletes to undergo genetic gender testing and to ban transgender and intersex athletes from participating in women's competitions. The IOC has not publicly confirmed these recommendations. Requiring women and girls to undergo a mandatory genetic test to compete would revive a practice that – even if it is a 'one-time test' – violates the right of women and girls to privacy,” the statement said.
If the IOC were to introduce gender testing, it would not be the first time: it had been done before 1996. However, after the Atlanta Olympics, the IOC voted to abolish universal gender testing, deeming it scientifically and ethically unsound. If the organization decides to bring back gender testing, then the 2028 Olympics would be the first in 32 years to conduct gender testing for female athletes.
SRA chief executive Andrea Florence said gender testing and a blanket ban policy would be a “catastrophic undermining of women's rights and safety”.
“Gender control and exclusion harm all women and girls, and undermine the very dignity and fairness that the IOC claims to uphold,” said Andrea Florence.
Advocates also argue that banning transgender and intersex athletes from participating ignores the barriers they face, including harassment, limited access to sports, and other structural inequalities.
“Sport should be a place where everyone feels at home,” said ILGA World Executive Director Julia Ert.
World Athletics has already introduced mandatory gender testing — for the SRY gene Gender-specific testing for all athletes competing in women's events under its umbrella. These rules came into effect on September 1, 2025.