Olympics align with Trump as transgender athletes banned from women’s games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has implemented a new eligibility policy, effective for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and beyond, banning transgender women from competing in women's events. The policy, announced in March 2026, aligns with a US presidential executive order and aims to ensure fairness, safety, and integrity in female sports categories. Eligibility will be determined by mandatory gene testing, limiting participation to biological females. The IOC's decision also restricts female athletes with differences in sex development (DSD). While the policy is not retroactive, it marks a significant shift from the IOC's previous guidance to individual sports federations.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has implemented a new policy banning transgender women athletes from competing in female Olympic events. The policy, effective for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, limits eligibility to biological females, determined by a mandatory gene test. The IOC states the decision aims to protect fairness, safety, and integrity within women's sports. This policy is not retroactive and does not affect grassroots or recreational sports. The IOC's decision comes after ongoing debate surrounding transgender athletes' participation in sports and aligns with the U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on sports.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that women's sports at the Olympic Games will be limited to biological females, starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This decision reverses the 2021 policy that allowed individual sports federations to determine their own eligibility rules. The new policy will require athletes to undergo a one-time SRY gene screening to determine eligibility for female category events. The IOC stated the policy is based on scientific evidence and medical expertise. The screening will be conducted via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample. The policy will prevent transgender women and those with differences in sexual development (DSD) from competing in the female category at the Olympics.