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Published 11:53 27 Mar 2026 GMT
Trump's social media post after Olympics bans transgender women from competing in women's events
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed that transgender women athletes will be banned from competing in all female events at the Olympic Games, starting with the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The decision applies across both individual and team competitions and forms part of a wider eligibility policy overhaul.
According to the IOC, the new rules are designed to ensure fairness in women’s sport. The policy will not be applied retroactively and will not affect grassroots or recreational sports programs. Instead, it focuses solely on elite Olympic competition and related IOC events.
The move has quickly drawn global attention, including a response from US President Donald Trump, who took to Truth Social to react to the announcement. He wrote: "Congratulations to the International Olympic Committee on their decision to ban Men from Women’s Sports. This is only happening because of my powerful Executive Order, standing up for Women and Girls!"
New eligibility rules explained
The International Olympic Committee stated that eligibility for female categories will now be limited to biological females. This will be determined through a one-time test for the SRY gene, which the IOC says is fixed throughout life and provides evidence of male sex development.
The organization said the policy "protects fairness, safety, and integrity in the female category" and pointed to scientific findings that males retain physical advantages in strength, power, and endurance.
The restriction will also apply to athletes with differences in sex development, including competitors like Caster Semenya, as part of a broader tightening of eligibility rules.
Leadership and policy shift
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said the policy had been a priority before Trump returned to office. She stated via Sky Sports: "The policy was a priority for me way before President Trump came into his second term, so there has not been any pressure from us to deliver anything from anybody outside the Olympic movement."
She added that the IOC worked with more than 1,000 athletes while developing the framework and emphasized the importance of safeguarding and support systems during implementation.
The decision marks a shift from the IOC’s earlier stance, where individual sports were responsible for setting their own rules. Coventry began pushing for a unified policy after taking over leadership in 2025.
Pressure and changing direction
Pressure had been building from multiple sides, including political influence from the United States ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.
The new policy will take effect in July 2028, with the IOC now working alongside international federations and national Olympic committees to finalize how the rules will be implemented.