The new IOC policy codifies, for the first time, an international standard for all sports regarding the eligibility classification of female athletes, an issue that has been hotly debated within some individual sports and in politics. US President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have tried to limit the participation of transgender women in sports through executive orders and congressional actions, with mixed success.
Advertisement
More from Sportico.com
Kirsty Coventry, IOC president and retired Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe, said the issue “was a priority” for her long before Trump’s second term. “There was no pressure from anyone outside the Olympic movement” to institute the policy, he added.
At the same time, the IOC admitted that “athletes who identify as women and who wish to have the opportunity to compete in IOC events based on their sex or legal gender identity may not agree” to the policy. Coventry acknowledged that “we still don’t have all the answers” about how the policy will be implemented.
According to policy language published by the IOC, athletes who wish to compete in women’s events at the Olympic Games must undergo a one-time screening test, conducted by collecting blood or saliva or using a cheek swab. Administration of these events will be delegated to international sports federations, such as World Athletics, and national governing bodies, such as the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Advertisement
A USOPC spokesperson said the governing body understood the policy that athletes attempting to compete in men’s events would not be subject to testing.
Asked how the IOC plans to test athletes whose home countries prohibit or have banned sex testing, Coventry said that if the policy “is illegal in a country, athletes will have the possibility to be tested when they travel.”
The IOC anticipates possible challenges from legal and human rights groups. “Human rights experts, including UN special rapporteurs, disagree on the legitimacy of sex-based eligibility rules in competitive sports,” the policy states.
In February, the UN Human Rights Council published a list of concerns regarding the adoption of mandatory sex genetic testing for sports for several reasons, including possible violations of human rights laws.
Advertisement
“Discrimination on the basis of sex and gender is prohibited,” according to the UN Special Rapporteurs. “Mandatory sex genetic testing also raises concerns regarding privacy, bodily integrity, informed consent and data protection, particularly when athletes are forced to undergo testing under threat of ineligibility and when sensitive personal data may be processed or disclosed without adequate safeguards.”
The test, known as SRY gene screening, determines whether an individual had male sexual development, usually expressed through the XY chromosomes. Athletes who test negative would have lifetime eligibility to compete in women’s events at the Olympics, while those who test positive would be eligible for additional testing to determine if they have differences in sexual development or a rare condition known as complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, in which case they would be eligible to compete as women.
The new policy is expected to replace existing policies set in some international sports federations, including athletics, boxing and swimming.
The best of Sportico.com
Advertisement
Subscribe to the Sportico newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.