The International Olympic Committee (IOC) aims to establish a new policy on eligibility in women’s sports by early 2026, potentially leading to the exclusion of transgender athletes from the Olympic Games. IOC President Kirsty Coventry emphasized the organization’s belief in granting access to sports as a fundamental human right for individuals at grassroots and recreational levels.
Coventry, a two-time Olympic champion swimmer, formed a working group upon assuming office in June to assess the protection of the female category in sports. Following her election as IOC president, where several candidates pledged a more robust approach to gender eligibility, Coventry expressed optimism for a clear decision within the next few months or by the first quarter of the upcoming year.
The IOC had previously offered guidance to individual sports governing bodies regarding their own regulations on gender eligibility. However, the organization is now working towards establishing its own policy, particularly concerning transgender athletes and those with differences in sexual development (DSD), with a potential confirmation expected at the meeting preceding the Milan Cortina Winter Games in February 2026.
The upcoming 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles have also drawn attention to this issue, as U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” in February, which could lead to funding restrictions for organizations allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s and girls’ sports.
In a similar vein, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee recently prohibited transgender women from participating in Olympic women’s sports, aligning with government directives. Various international sports governing bodies, including those overseeing track and field, swimming, and boxing, have introduced measures to address the eligibility of athletes who have undergone male puberty.
Coventry acknowledged the challenges of reaching a consensus on this matter but affirmed the commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the female category in sports. While the exact number of transgender athletes competing at the Olympic level remains uncertain, the Olympic Charter underscores the principle of sports as a universal human right without discrimination, a stance Coventry reiterated as fundamental to the values of sport at all levels.