The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a sweeping policy change Thursday that will bar biological males from competing in women’s events at the Olympic Games, beginning with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The decision follows a multi-year review process and signals a major shift in how the global sports body approaches sex-based competition.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the first woman and first African to lead the organization, unveiled the policy, emphasizing that it was grounded in scientific research and athlete welfare.
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interest of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” Coventry said in a video statement.
She further underscored the competitive and safety implications: “At the Olympic games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So it’s absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports, it would simply not be safe.”
The announcement marks the culmination of a review that began in September 2024, when the IOC reassessed its framework for women’s categories. A formal working group launched in September 2025 brought together experts in sports science, endocrinology, transgender medicine, and women’s health to evaluate developments since 2021. Their findings informed the new eligibility standards.
Under the updated rules, female athletes will be required to undergo a one-time genetic test to confirm eligibility. The policy will not be applied retroactively and does not extend to recreational or non-elite competition.
Previously, the IOC allowed individual sports federations to determine their own eligibility criteria. Some major governing bodies had already taken restrictive steps. Track and field, swimming, and cycling, for example, barred athletes who had undergone male puberty from competing in women’s divisions.
The new IOC policy goes further by standardizing rules across all Olympic sports. It will also affect athletes with certain medical conditions, including differences in sex development (DSD). Among the most prominent cases is two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya, who has previously faced restrictions due to naturally elevated testosterone levels.
The issue has also drawn attention through individual controversies, including Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who competed in the women’s division at the 2024 Paris Olympics before later acknowledging being male.
Not all Olympic leaders have agreed on how to define sex in sports. Former IOC President Thomas Bach previously cautioned against oversimplifying the issue.
“It is not as easy as some may, in this culture war, may now want to portray it, that the XX or the XY is the clear distinction between the men and women. This is scientifically not true anymore,” Bach said.
The IOC’s decision comes amid growing political and public debate worldwide. In the United States, polling indicates that a majority of adults support limiting women’s sports participation based on biological sex. The issue has also become a focal point in national politics.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier in his term prohibiting biological males from competing in women’s sports, a directive later adopted by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The administration has publicly welcomed the IOC’s move.
“You cannot change your sex. President Trump’s Executive Order protecting women’s sports made this happen!” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Supporters of the IOC’s decision argue it restores fairness and safety in women’s competition, pointing to reported cases of female athletes losing medals to male competitors across multiple sports. Critics, however, are expected to challenge the policy on scientific, ethical, and legal grounds.
