IOC to ban transgender participation in the Olympic Games

A transgender athlete in women’s weightlifting. Photo: Reuters / Edgard Garrido

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is developing a new policy that is likely to completely ban transgender individuals who identify as women from participating in female events at the Olympic Games, The Telegraph reports, citing sources within the IOC. A final decision is expected in early 2026, following the completion of a scientific review of physical differences between the sexes.

Jane Thornton, the IOC’s Medical and Scientific Director, presented to committee members in Lausanne the results of a study on the athletic advantages of transgender competitors. She demonstrated that transgender athletes maintain permanent physical advantages over women, which cannot be fully neutralized even with hormone therapy aimed at lowering testosterone levels.

According to media reports, the new IOC policy will be officially unveiled at the 145th IOC Session in Milan, scheduled just days before the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. The new IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic medalist in swimming, publicly voiced her support for a comprehensive ban back in January. She emphasized that protecting female categories and female sport is a top priority and called for a more consistent global approach instead of arbitrary rules set by individual international federations.

A transgender athlete first competed in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 – New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who identified as female, competed in the women’s 87-kilogram category but failed to complete a single successful lift.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the U.S. Supreme Court had prohibited transgender individuals from changing their gender markers in passports.

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