IOC Bars Transgender Women from Competing in Olympic Women’s Events from 2028

The IOC has introduced a new policy excluding transgender women from women’s Olympic events starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Only biological females, verified by a gene test, will be eligible, and the rules also impose restrictions on athletes with differences in sex development, such as Caster Semenya, to protect fairness and integrity in competition.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a new eligibility policy that excludes transgender women from competing in women’s events at the Olympics, effective from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Under the new rules, only biological females—determined by a mandatory gene test once in an athlete’s career—will be eligible to compete in female categories across all Olympic and IOC events, including individual and team sports.
The IOC said the policy aims to “protect fairness, safety and integrity in the female category” and clarified that it is not retroactive, nor does it apply to grassroots or recreational sports programs. The decision follows growing debate over fairness in women’s sports and aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on sports.
While it is unclear how many transgender women currently compete at an Olympic level, no athlete who transitioned from male participated in the 2024 Paris Games. Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 without winning a medal.
The 10-page policy document also addresses female athletes with medical conditions known as differences in sex development (DSD), such as two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya, placing new restrictions on their participation in certain events.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry emphasized the sensitivity of the topic and the need for a clear, standardized policy, noting that even small differences in physical attributes can affect performance in elite competition. Coventry stressed that the policy ensures fairness by preventing biological males from competing in the female category, where even marginal advantages can determine victory.