Transgender athletes and those athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) will reportedly be banned from competing in female competitions at the Olympics from early next year after a science-based review undertaken by the International Olympic committee (IOC).
A report in The Times claims the review looked into the permanent physical advantages of being born male.
Previously, Olympic sports had the power individually to decide whether transgender women could compete with reduced testosterone levels.
That has seen the likes of athletics and swimming ban those athletes who have been through male puberty, but others haven’t followed suit, including football.
However, that will now switch under new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who has repeatedly affirmed her desire to ‘protect the female category’.
This means that transgender athletes are set to be banned, resolving an issue that has been hugely controversial in recent years. The policy is similarly expected to cover DSD athletes. That refers to those who have been raised as girls from birth but also have male chromosomes and levels of testosterone similar to males.
Transgender athletes will reportedly be banned from competing in female competitions at the Olympics from early next year (pictured – transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand)
The policy is likely to apply to DSD competitors like Imane Khelif after after a science-based review by the IOC looking at the permanent physical advantages of being born male
The report goes on to add that Dr Jane Thornton, who is the IOC’s medical and scientific director, presented the findings of the review to members at a meeting in Lausanne last week.
Thornton’s presentation was said to show transgender athletes who had taken treatments to reduce testosterone levels maintained physical advantages over their counterparts.
One source told The Times: ‘It (the presentation) was a very scientific, factual and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence,’ and it was received well.
The policy is yet to be finalised, with work needed to ensure it is legally OK, but the report adds that once that is sorted, the new directive will be shared early in 2026.
