The International Olympic Committee is moving closer to banning transgender women from competing in the female category — a shift that could reshape the landscape of international sports before the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Multiple sources familiar with the IOC’s internal discussions say the organization is likely to introduce a new policy within the next six to twelve months. The change would mark the first major overhaul of Olympic eligibility rules under new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who campaigned on a promise to “protect the female category.”
Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe, is said to be pushing for a policy that would bar any athlete who has undergone male puberty from participating in women’s events. Such a rule would bring the IOC in line with governing bodies like World Athletics, which banned athletes with differences of sexual development — including double Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya — from the female division in 2023. At the same time, the move would put the IOC in alignment with U.S. policy under President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in February prohibiting transgender women from competing in female sports. With Los Angeles set to host the next Summer Games, avoiding a high-profile clash with Washington may be part of the calculation.
The discussions appear to have accelerated last week after Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s director of health, medicine, and science, presented findings to committee members on the biological advantages of male puberty. Thornton, a former Canadian Olympic rower, was described by one attendee as offering a “factual and dispassionate” overview of the scientific evidence, including research suggesting that strength, bone density, and muscle mass retain male-linked advantages even after hormone therapy.
Her presentation reportedly included information about how World Athletics uses a cheek-swab gene test — known as the SRY test — to determine biological sex. But despite the scientific framing, questions remain about how the IOC would implement such a policy, and whether it could withstand legal challenges from affected athletes or human rights organizations.
For now, the IOC insists that no decision has been made. In a statement this week, the organization said: “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet. Further information will be provided in due course.” Still, momentum appears to be building toward a formal announcement. Many insiders believe Coventry wants the issue settled well before 2026, when final qualification guidelines for the LA Games will be drafted.
The potential policy has already divided international sport. FIFA, for instance, still allows athletes with differences of sexual development to compete in women’s soccer, even as other federations have moved toward bans. Advocates for transgender inclusion argue that sweeping restrictions would violate the Olympic Charter’s principles of equality and non-discrimination.
