LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reported to be moving toward a policy that would prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s events at the Olympic Games.
According to multiple media reports, the IOC is considering a so-called “blanket ban” on athletes assigned male at birth competing in the women’s category. The new policy would also look at athletes with differences of sex development (DSD) raised female but with male biological traits.
The policy shift follows a scientific review presented to IOC members by its medical and scientific director, Jane Thornton, which found that people born male may retain physiological advantages even after testosterone suppression.
The move comes after the IOC’s new president, Kirsty Coventry, announced in June that the organisation will take the lead in setting eligibility rules for transgender athletes — a role previously left to individual sports federations.
A working group titled “Protection of the Female Category” has been formed to study how best to ensure fairness in women’s sport.
