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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reportedly preparing to implement a significant policy change that will restrict transgender female athletes from competing alongside cisgender women. This new guideline could potentially encompass individuals with differences of sex development (DSD).
Currently, the IOC allows each sport’s governing body to set its own regulations regarding transgender athletes. However, as leadership within the IOC has shifted, recent reports from The Times of London indicate that these policies will undergo revisions.
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A view of the Olympic rings during a promotional event for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 6, 2025, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
IOC President Kirsty Coventry emphasized the importance of “protecting” the women’s sports category in a statement made in June, where she noted that there was widespread agreement among IOC members on this issue. Coventry stated, “We understand that there’ll be differences depending on the sport … but it was very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness.” She also highlighted the need for a science-based approach in conjunction with international federations that have already conducted extensive research on this topic.
The IOC is expected to formally announce this upcoming policy change during its session in February, prior to the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. This change follows a presentation by Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director, which reportedly indicated that physical advantages persist in male athletes, even with testosterone suppression treatments. According to sources, the presentation was characterized as “very scientific” and devoid of emotional bias.
Kirsty Coventry reacts to her election as IOC president during the 144th IOC session in Costa Navarino, Greece, on March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
As part of the new regulations, athletes diagnosed with DSD—individuals who may have been assigned female at birth but exhibit male physical characteristics—will also be subject to these guidelines. This issue was notably highlighted in the context of Olympic boxing, where controversies arose surrounding athletes who had previously failed gender verification tests.
Controversially, both Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan won gold medals in the women’s division, igniting significant debate. Khelif has maintained that she identifies as female, while Lin has chosen not to comment publicly on the situation since the conclusion of the Olympics.
Imane Khelif of Team Algeria competes against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary during the women’s 66kg quarter-final boxing match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 3, 2024. (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In response to these controversies, World Boxing has instituted mandatory gender testing for all competitors, and Khelif will be required to complete this testing to compete in future events.
For additional insights, Fox News Digital has reached out to the IOC for further comments on this policy shift.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report, and this coverage was prepared by Ryan Gaydos, a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
