The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced this Thursday a new policy affecting the female category in Olympic sport that establishes that only biological women will be able to compete in these disciplines. The measure will come into effect starting from the Los Angeles Olympic Games, scheduled for 2028.
According to the IOC, eligibility will be determined by an SRY gene detection test, present only in biological men. To be able to compete in the female category, the result must be negative.
“The IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and constitutes a highly accurate test that an athlete has experienced male sexual development,” states the communiqué approved by its Executive Board.
Furthermore, the organization emphasizes that the test, performed using saliva or blood samples, is minimally intrusive and will only need to be performed once in a lifetime.
Exclusion of trans athletes
The regulations establish that XY transgender athletes (biological males) and those with androgen-sensitive disorders of sex development must compete in male categories. However, the IOC considers “rare exceptions”, such as in cases of athletes with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, provided there is no competitive advantage derived from testosterone.
The decision represents a relevant shift in participation criteria in international sport and reopens the debate on inclusion and competitive fairness. Recent cases such as that of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, present at the last Olympic Games, had intensified the discussion about the limits of the female category and biological differences in high performance.