The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may ban transgender athletes from competing in all women’s events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
This decision follows a science-based review commissioned by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, which examines the permanent physical advantages of being born male, even after testosterone reduction.
Coventry, who became IOC president in March after expressing her preference for such a ban, ordered the review to assess these advantages thoroughly.
Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director, provided an update to IOC members last week.
According to The Telegraph, she revealed that scientific evidence supports the notion that male-born athletes retain physical benefits even after reducing testosterone levels.
While no final decision has yet been made, the update reinforced concerns that transgender women may have an unfair advantage in women’s sports, leading to an increasingly likely policy change for the 2028 Games.
Current IOC Policy and Variations Across Sports
Under the IOC’s existing policy, each sport is allowed to set its own rules regarding transgender athletes. As a result, different sports have adopted varying approaches.
For example, athletics and swimming ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s events, while sports like football allow transgender competitors, provided they have taken steps to lower their testosterone levels.
The policy's inconsistency has led to mounting pressure for a more unified approach, with many calling for clearer guidelines to address the issue.
Transgender and DSD Athletes: A New Focus
The IOC’s potential new policy could also extend to athletes with differences of sex development (DSD), with athletes like South Africa’s Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters, becoming central figures in this debate.
Semenya, who has naturally elevated levels of testosterone, has faced challenges in her career over eligibility to compete in women’s events.
The most recent controversy arose during the Paris 2024 Olympics, where two boxers, Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting - who are women - won gold despite allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria at the Boxing World Championships.
World Athletics data shows that DSD athletes have had an outsized presence in elite female athletics competitions, with 135 DSD finalists this century.
Dr. Stephane Bermon, head of health and science at World Athletics, highlighted this issue, stating that DSD athletes were 151.9 times more likely to reach finals than their occurrence in the general population would suggest.
To address this, World Athletics introduced mandatory sex testing ahead of the 2024 World Championships.
Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic medalist in swimming, has been vocal in her belief that protecting women’s sports must be a top priority.
Speaking in January, she emphasized the need to safeguard the female category, saying: “There is more and more scientific research. We are not having a conversation about how it is detrimental to men’s sport. That, in itself, says we need to protect women’s sport.”
Coventry also spoke about the controversy that occurred during the Paris Olympics when Khelif and Yu-Ting won gold, claiming that lessons could be learned, but admitting that the specific situation could not have been predicted.
In addition to this, she has not ruled out the return of mandatory sex testing and stated that the IOC might implement a “cohesive” policy to ensure fairness across all sports.
The potential ban on transgender athletes in the female category comes amid broader political developments.
In February, President Trump signed an executive order that prevents transgender athletes from competing in female categories, a policy that would extend to the 2028 Olympics.
An IOC spokesperson confirmed that the committee is actively reviewing the matter: "An update was given by the IOC medical and scientific director to the IOC members last week at the commission meetings. The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic, and no decisions have been taken yet."