Olympics Logo – Photo: fotofritz16 via iStockphoto
The International Olympic Committee is reportedly preparing to ban transgender women from competing in all female-designated sports, according to a report by the U.K. newspaper The Times.
At present, each sport’s international federation sets its own rules on transgender eligibility, with some requiring athletes to undergo hormone therapy for a specific period before competing in the female category.
But IOC President Kirsty Coventry, elected earlier this year, has called for consistent standards across all sports. After taking office in June, she created four working groups to address key issues facing the IOC, including one focused on protecting women’s sports.
The change, which will reportedly be officially announced next year, was made after the IOC carried out a science-based review of the physical advantages of people assigned male at birth.
The Times reported that Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s director of health, medicine, and science, briefed colleagues on the review’s findings. A former world rowing champion, Thornton said scientific evidence indicates that anyone who has undergone male puberty retains permanent physical advantages over females that cannot be fully offset by hormone treatment.
The report also concluded that athletes with Disorders of Sexual Development (DSD) — a group of conditions in which a person develops traits of both sexes — have measurable advantages over cisgender female athletes.
Former Olympic track star Caster Semenya — who recently withdrew her challenge to an international competition ban after refusing to take medication to lower her testosterone levels, despite a European Court of Human Rights ruling that she was discriminated against– is among several athletes with DSD.
An IOC spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic that Thornton spoke to members last week but said the working group is still discussing the issue and no final decisions have been made.
However, two senior IOC sources, speaking anonymously, told the outlet the ban on transgender athletes and those with DSD is almost certain to be imposed. Both described the change in eligibility rules as long overdue.
The participation of transgender and DSD athletes became a flashpoint during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after two boxers — Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan — won gold medals despite having been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
Both boxers were raised as and identify as women, and there is no evidence that either is transgender. However, they may have higher testosterone levels linked to DSD, a condition neither has been diagnosed with. Questions about their eligibility and perceived advantages over other competitors fueled renewed calls for a categorical ban on transgender athletes in women’s competitions.
It remains unclear whether the ban will take effect before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Times reported that the IOC could unveil the policy during its 145th Session in Milan, just days before the Games begin.
However, the ban is expected to be fully in place by the time Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring transgender women from women’s sports and threatening to withhold federal funding from schools, universities, and states that refuse to comply.
As part of that order, Trump directed the State Department to review the visas of foreign athletes entering the United States to ensure they were not assigned male at birth. The department has since said it will impose permanent visa bans on any transgender individuals — not just athletes — whose gender marker on their application does not match their assigned sex at birth.
To date, only one openly transgender woman has competed in the Olympics: New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Games but failed to complete a successful lift.
A Republican candidate who campaigned against transgender rights has dropped out of the Wisconsin governor's race after a local newspaper revealed he had followed several sex- and relationship-focused blogs on Medium, including one authored by a nonbinary porn performer.
Bill Berrien, a former Navy SEAL and CEO of Pindel Global Precision, a manufacturer of precision-machined components, was one of three Republicans competing for the party’s nomination in the 2026 Wisconsin governor’s race.
The 56-year-old businessman faced an uphill battle in the primary, where political observers saw him as the most "moderate" candidate. That perception stemmed from his past support for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign, his backing of ranked-choice voting, and his criticism of Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
At 56, I've seen plenty. Never, of course, have I seen the federal government so batshit bonkers, so desperate to assert itself into every nook and cranny of American life, from the critical to the comical. Take that, Colbert and Kimmel! Gotcha, plaque mentioning Transgender participation at the Stonewall Inn! We're gonna get you, sandwich guy!! We're deporting Bad Bunny! To… ahem… Puerto Rico?
What do you call this clinical level of desperation? Stephen Miller.
We've got masked federal goons playing tough in cities far and wide. Are these Proud Boys? Oath Keepers? Three Percenters? Quite likely, but who the hell knows? Aside from Kristi "Canine Killer" Noem, Tom (sub)Homan, and their colleagues, presumably.
My first protest, as my mother tells it, was as a toddler. In our Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego, circa 1970, she was moved to join a small group in opposition to some new construction. As she was moved, so was I, on four stroller wheels. My birth may have coincided with the weekend of the Stonewall Riots, but I didn't learn about that till much later.
And, of course, I have no memory of this inaugural outing with Mom to fight the power. Today, my mother looks at current events, disgusted by the White House, and wonders aloud whether protests such as the Oct. 18 No Kings Day actions across the country and beyond do much. At her age, she's certainly entitled to be winding down. Not that she was ever big on protests to begin with -- my first was her last, possibly her only.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.