March 26, New Delhi – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has introduced a new rule for women's events at the Olympic Games.
From now on, only biologically female athletes will be allowed to compete in the women's category, and all participants will need to take a one-time SRY gene test to confirm their eligibility.
This decision was made to create a single, clear rule after years of confusion and different policies across sports. Previously, the IOC had allowed each sport to decide its own rules, but the new IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, changed this approach and introduced a universal policy.
The new rules will only apply going forward and will not affect past Olympic results or amateur sports. Previously, transgender athletes could compete if approved by their sports federations, and only a few, such as Laurel Hubbard at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, have participated.