IOC Announces Revised Eligibility Rules for Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sport

On 26 March 2026, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a new Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport and Guiding Considerations for International Federations and Sports Governing Bodies. Following approval by the IOC Executive Board, the policy marks a significant shift in the IOC’s approach to athlete eligibility.

The policy was developed through an IOC review conducted between September 2024 and March 2026. This included consultations with medical experts, International Federations (IFs), and athletes from around the world. In September 2025, the IOC established a working group to examine scientific, medical and legal developments since 2021. The working group members came from all five continents and included specialists in sports science, endocrinology, transgender medicine, sports medicine, women’s health, ethics and law, as well as International Federation Chief Medical Officers.

Under the new framework, eligibility for any female category is limited to biological females, as determined by SRY gene screening. The IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and provides highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced male sex development. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy the policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the female category. Unless there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime test. This replaces the previous approach, which allowed individual International Federations to determine eligibility rules.

Exceptions are granted where it can be shown that an athlete does not have a competitive advantage, in line with medical and scientific evidence. From a more general point of view, this depends on specific conditions and variations of sex characteristics. 

The policy applies to all disciplines across the sports programme of an IOC event, including the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games, for both individual and team sports and qualification events. It will take effect from the LA28 Olympic Games onwards. The policy is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programmes. Testing will be conducted via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample, which the IOC considers less intrusive than other possible methods.

The working group reviewed the latest scientific evidence and reached a clear consensus that male sex confers a performance advantage across all sports and events that rely on strength, power and endurance. To ensure fairness and protect safety, particularly in contact sports, eligibility should therefore be based on biological sex. The group agreed that SRY gene screening is the most accurate and least intrusive method currently available for verifying biological sex. This uniform framework replaces the previous approach, which allowed International Federations to set eligibility criteria, resulting in inconsistencies across sports.

The policy has been developed through an athlete-centred approach that prioritises athletes’ human dignity, physical and psychological health and well-being, and safety. Athletes’ right to privacy and confidentiality will be respected. International Federations and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are to lead education for athletes and entourage members, with particular emphasis on coaches’ and managers’ responsibility to support athletes’ autonomy, privacy, and well-being, and to refrain from sharing information beyond authorised channels.

They must ensure access to mental health and safeguarding support, provide clear early guidance on SRY gene screening, and maintain safe, accessible channels for reporting concerns, with specific safeguards for minors. The policy emphasises that biological sex-based eligibility criteria are not a judgment on, and do not question, the athlete’s legal sex or gender identity.

Athlete feedback was gathered through three key channels: an online athlete survey that received over 1,100 responses; in-depth individual interviews with impacted athletes from around the world; and a presentation to and discussion with members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Feedback revealed a strong consensus that fairness and safety in the female category required clear, science-based eligibility rules and that protecting the female category is a common priority.

The IOC has assured that it will continue to work with stakeholders and relevant experts to monitor the policy’s implementation, with scope for future refinements based on evolving scientific evidence and legal developments.

In conclusion, this policy marks a significant development in international sports governance, as the IOC establishes a clear and uniform eligibility standard for the female category. It replaces all previous IOC statements on this matter, including the Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations. The IOC has emphasised that this policy should be adopted by International Federations and other sports governing bodies, such as National Olympic Committees, National Federations, and Continental Associations, when implementing eligibility rules for IOC events only.