The International Olympic Committee is considering a new global policy that could prohibit transgender women from competing in female Olympic events.
IOC officials say no final decision has been made, but the organization’s medical and scientific director, Dr. Jane Thornton, recently presented research showing that individuals born male retain certain physical advantages even after lowering testosterone levels. The findings have fueled expectations among members that a new eligibility policy may be announced within the next year. An IOC spokesperson confirmed that the working group reviewing gender eligibility rules is still discussing the issue.
The potential change comes under new IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic medalist who pledged to “protect the women’s category.” Coventry said there is “overwhelming support” among IOC members to ensure fairness in women’s competition, emphasizing that any decision must rely on scientific evidence and collaboration with individual sports federations.
A universal rule would likely not take effect before the 2026 Winter Olympics but could be implemented ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. The framework would replace the IOC’s current system, which allows each sport’s governing body to set its own rules for transgender participation. The review also includes athletes with differences of sex development, or DSD, who are typically assigned female at birth but have XY chromosomes or other traits associated with male sex characteristics.
Recent controversies in women’s boxing have intensified the debate. Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting won gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics after prior disputes over gender-eligibility testing by another federation. Both athletes have said they are women and have always competed in the female category.
Several international federations, including those overseeing swimming and track and field, have adopted rules barring athletes from female competition if they experienced male puberty. Supporters say such restrictions protect fairness and safety, while human rights and LGBTQ+ advocates argue they amount to discrimination and overlook how few transgender athletes actually compete at the elite level.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting transgender women from competing in female categories at any sporting event held in the United States, including the 2028 Olympics. The order also directs federal agencies to deny visas to foreign transgender athletes seeking to participate in U.S. competitions.
Advocates for transgender and intersex athletes warn that sweeping restrictions could reintroduce sex testing, a practice largely abandoned two decades ago after misidentifying women with naturally occurring hormonal or chromosomal variations. Experts caution such testing can cause lasting psychological harm.
The IOC has not yet approved a final policy. A formal announcement could come in early 2026, several months before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. If adopted, the rule would represent the most significant change in Olympic eligibility since 2004, when transgender athletes were first allowed to compete under hormone-based guidelines.