The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is moving toward a sweeping new policy that could bar both transgender women and some cisgender women with naturally higher testosterone levels from competing in female Olympic events, according to multiple reports.
The proposed restrictions, which insiders say could be finalized ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, would mark the most significant rollback of gender inclusion in modern Olympic history, and have already sparked fierce backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and human rights organizations worldwide.
At a meeting last week, IOC medical and scientific director Dr. Jane Thornton, a former Olympic rower for Canada, presented findings from what the organization described as a “science-based review” into transgender athletes and competitors with differences of sexual development (DSD). According to The Times, Thornton’s presentation stated that scientific evidence showed “physical advantages” for individuals who went through male puberty, even after hormone therapy.
The new policy, if approved, would not only exclude transgender women but also cover DSD athletes, those who were assigned female at birth but have XY chromosomes and naturally higher testosterone levels. That inclusion would impact athletes such as Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics after facing disqualification from the 2023 World Championships over gender eligibility disputes. Khelif, who has always identified as female, has not been accused of being transgender.
An IOC spokesperson confirmed that Thornton gave a presentation last week but emphasized that “no decisions have been taken yet.” However, internal sources told The Athletic that “the direction of travel is clear,” suggesting that the IOC intends to implement a ban as part of a broader policy shift to “protect the female category.”
Kirsty Coventry’s Leadership and “Protecting the Female Category”
This push is being led by new IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who took office in June. Coventry, Africa’s most decorated Olympian and the first woman to lead the IOC, has been vocal about the need for consistent gender policies across all sports.
“I don’t think we need to redo all the work that’s been done,” Coventry said in March. “The overarching principle must be to protect the female category.”
Coventry’s comments echoed her earlier promise to establish new eligibility guidelines after controversy erupted during the Paris Olympics. The IOC had faced pressure from several national committees and conservative lawmakers following debates over gender verification and fairness in competition.
Scientific Debate and Pushback
While the IOC cites “scientific evidence” of male puberty advantages, many experts argue that the data is far from conclusive.
A 2021 paper published in Sports Medicine found no definitive research supporting bans on transgender athletes. Similarly, a 2024 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, partially funded by the IOC, concluded that transgender women may actually experience certain disadvantages compared to cisgender women, including reduced muscle mass, lower oxygen uptake, and decreased lower-body strength after hormone treatment.
“Banning trans women and DSD athletes outright is not based on comprehensive science — it’s based on fear,” said one sports medicine researcher familiar with the IOC’s review. “The data simply doesn’t justify exclusion.”
A Global Ripple Effect
If the IOC finalizes the ban, it would align closely with the Trump administration’s 2025 executive orders restricting transgender participation in sports. In February, President Donald Trump signed a federal order barring trans women and girls from competing in women’s categories in schools and universities. Later, he announced plans to deny U.S. visas to transgender women seeking to compete in women’s sports — including at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“There will be a very, very strong form of testing,” Trump told reporters in August. “If the test doesn’t come out appropriately, they won’t be in the Olympics.”
Following that announcement, both the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the NCAA adopted their own bans, citing “compliance with federal guidance,” despite the order itself lacking direct authority to enforce such rules.
A Shrinking Field for Trans Representation
Only one openly transgender woman has competed at the Olympics: New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who participated at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Hubbard’s quiet performance, she did not record a successful lift — stood in contrast to the media firestorm surrounding her inclusion.
