The International Olympic Committee has banned transgender athletes from participating in women's competitions at the Olympics, the IOC website reported on the eve of the 2028 Games.
The relevant document was approved by the IOC Executive Board after the institution agreed on new conditions for participation in the Olympics. The rules were developed between September 2024 and March 2026 and are irreversible.
The document “Policy on the Protection of Women in Olympic Sport and Guiding Considerations for International Federations and Sports Governing Bodies” states that from now on, the right to participate in women's competitions is “limited to biological females.”
In a new document, the IOC said transgender athletes could instead compete in men's and mixed events. However, women would need to be screened for the SRY gene in order to compete internationally. The IOC considers the presence of the SRY gene to be definitive evidence that an athlete has experienced male development. Screening can be done by taking saliva, blood or cheek swab samples. which must be negative.
“As a former athlete, I believe passionately in the rights of all Olympians to compete fairly. The policies we have announced are based on science and are developed by medical experts. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest difference can be the difference between victory and defeat. It is therefore absolutely clear that it would be unfair for biological males to compete in the women's category. Furthermore, in some sports it would simply be dangerous,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry.
“Men experience three significant peaks in testosterone: in the womb, in immature infancy, and from adolescence through adulthood. This gives men an individual gender-based advantage in performance in sports and activities that rely on strength, power, and/or endurance,” the paper says.
Before that, in February 2025, Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports.” It stated that “all funding will be withdrawn” from organizations that allowed transgender athletes to participate in women's sports. After that, the US president also promised to cancel visas for athletes who violate this document to participate in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.