The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the women's category of Olympic sports will be limited to biological females from 2028.
According to IOC president Kirsty Coventry, eligibility will be determined by a "once-in-a-lifetime" sex test, which would prevent transgender women and those with differences in sexual development (DSD) who have gone through male puberty from competing.
The policy will take effect from the Los Angeles Olympics, and the IOC says it is "led by medical experts".
Eligibility Criteria
The IOC said eligibility for the female category would be determined by a screening to detect the SRY gene - the sex-determining region Y gene - which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop.
Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy's eligibility criteria for competition in the female category, unless there is reason to believe that a negative reading is in error.
Response from Athletes and Organizations
Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic women's 800m champion, criticized the policy, saying it "does not smell of science" and "was born from political pressure".
World Athletics Spokesperson welcomed the move, saying it would "protect women's sport" and provide a "fair and level playing field".
Background and Controversy
The IOC's decision follows years of controversy over the participation of transgender and DSD athletes in female competition, with some arguing that it is essential to preserve fairness and safety in the female category.
Others have raised concerns that the approach is invasive and could violate human rights, and that it does not reflect the complex nature of sex.
Implementation and Implications
The IOC said its working group reviewed the latest scientific evidence over the past 18 months, which showed a "clear consensus" that "male sex provides a performance advantage in all sports and events that rely on strength, power and endurance".
The move does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programmes, and the IOC said the findings of any tests would not be applied retrospectively.
