The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it is banning biological men from competing in women's competitions ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in July 2028.
According to the IOC, the policy will rely on SRY gene (sex-determining region Y) screening and apply to the 2028 Summer Games and all IOC events to protect fairness, safety and integrity in the female category.
Testing will be done via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample. Notably, the new policy is not retroactive and does not apply to grassroots or recreational sports events.
“As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said. "The policy that we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category."
Coventry added that biological men competing in women's competition would also "simply not be safe.” High-impact sports in the 2020 Summer Games include basketball and lacrosse.
Laurel Hubbard was the first biological man to compete in a women's event at the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) in Tokyo. Hubbard, competing in weightlifting, did not medal.
Quinn, a non-binary transgender athlete, became the first athlete to win a medal at the 2020 Summer Games. Quinn won a gold medal in soccer as a member of the Canadian women's national team.
“Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect, and athletes will need to be screened only once in their lifetime. There must be clear education around the process and counselling available, alongside expert medical advice," Coventry added.
The IOC's policy follows President Donald Trump's February Executive Order prohibiting biological men from competing in women's sports.
"It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy," the Executive Order states. "It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth."
According to a United Nations report, more than 600 female athletes have lost nearly 900 medals to transgender competitors across 29 different sports in 400 competitions at various events.
There is nothing stopping trans males from competing in Men’s Olympic sports except their own talent.