IOC announces that only biological women will be able to compete in the women’s category from Los Angeles 2028

Geneva. — The International Olympic Committee announced this Thursday a new eligibility policy for the female category in Olympic sport, by which only biological women will be able to compete in women’s disciplines starting with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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The measure is part of a new regulation aimed at protecting the fairness, safety, and integrity of the female category in high-performance sports. To determine eligibility, a genetic test will be used that detects the SRY gene, which is present only in biological men. This test can be performed using a saliva or blood sample and, according to the organization, will only be necessary once in a lifetime. The IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, explained that the policy was developed based on scientific evidence and advice from medical experts, noting that in some sports it is neither fair nor safe for athletes with male biological development to compete in the women’s category. The organization indicated that there will be infrequent exceptions, such as in cases of athletes with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome or other differences in sexual development that do not involve competitive advantages related to testosterone. In those cases, eligibility will be evaluated individually. On the contrary, transgender athletes with XY chromosomes and people with differences in sexual development sensitive to androgens must compete in the men’s category, as established by the new regulations. Policy arises amidst the debates generated in recent years about participation in women’s sports, especially after the controversies recorded in the Paris 2024 Games related to boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, cases that reopened the discussion on regulation, equality, and eligibility in international competitions. The IOC reported that the rule will apply to all disciplines of the Olympic program, both in individual and team sports, although it will not be mandatory for recreational or grassroots sports programs. With this decision, the International Olympic Committee seeks to establish a unified global framework for women’s competitions for the 2028 Olympic Games, in an attempt to ensure equal conditions in high-level sport.