Key points
- New policy targets physical advantages of male puberty
- IOC reviews testosterone suppression and fairness
- Addresses athletes with differences in sexual development
ISLAMABAD: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reportedly preparing to ban transgender women from competing in female categories across all Olympic sports, following a “scientific review” into the physical advantages associated with male puberty, The Times reported on Monday.
The new policy, expected to be announced early next year under IOC President Kirsty Coventry, follows research indicating that the physical benefits of being born male “remain even after testosterone suppression,” reports Anadolu Agency.
The review was presented last week in Lausanne, Switzerland, by Dr. Jane Thornton, a Canadian sports medicine physician and the IOC’s medical and scientific director, as well as a former Olympic rower.
“It was a very scientific, factual, and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence,” one source familiar with the meeting told The Times, adding that IOC members’ feedback was “hugely positive.”
Previous guidelines
This new policy will replace the IOC’s previous guidelines, which allowed transgender athletes to compete with reduced testosterone levels, leaving eligibility decisions to individual sports.
Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe who assumed office this year, has stated that the committee’s approach seeks to “place emphasis on the protection of the female category,” while maintaining a “scientific approach” in collaboration with international federations.
The new policy is also expected to address athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD), following controversies surrounding competitors like Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, who won gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics amid prior eligibility disputes.
The IOC could announce the changes as early as February during a session ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, contingent upon the final legal review of the new regulations.
