The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to ban transgender women from female categories in all Olympic sports, following a “scientific review” on physical advantages linked to male puberty, The Times reported Monday.
The policy, expected early next year under IOC President Kirsty Coventry, comes after findings that physical benefits from being born male “remain even after testosterone suppression.” The review was presented in Lausanne by Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director and former Olympic rower.
“It was a very scientific, factual, and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence,” a source familiar with the meeting told The Times, adding that IOC members’ feedback was “hugely positive.”
The new rules would replace previous guidance allowing transgender athletes to compete with reduced testosterone levels, which left eligibility decisions to individual sports.
Coventry said the approach aims to “place emphasis on the protection of the female category” while maintaining a “scientific approach” in coordination with international federations. The policy is also expected to address athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) following debates over competitors such as Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting.
An official announcement could come as early as February during an IOC session before the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, pending final legal review.
