The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a new policy Thursday that will bar transgender women and athletes with certain differences in sex development (DSD) from competing in women's events, effective with the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The committee stated the decision aims to uphold fairness, safety, and integrity within the female sports category.

Under the new regulations, eligibility for female categories at the Olympic Games and other IOC events will be limited to "biological females." The IOC plans to enforce this policy through a one-time SRY gene screening, which will analyze an individual's chromosomal makeup. Athletes testing negative for the SRY gene will permanently meet the eligibility criteria for female competition, with the test conducted once via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample. Those identified as biologically male will be eligible to compete in male categories.

The policy also extends to women with DSD conditions that result in male-level testosterone, such as South African runner Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, whose participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics generated controversy due to having male SRY genes, would also be blocked under these new rules for future competitions.

This decision follows a 2025 executive order issued by the U.S. government, which mandated that any athletic organization allowing biological males to compete in female sports would risk losing federal funding. The executive order had previously raised questions about funding for the 2028 Games, as the IOC had previously allowed individual sports federations to determine their own transgender athlete policies. Several sports had already implemented bans, though a transgender woman competed in women's weightlifting for New Zealand in the 2020 Tokyo Games. No openly transgender athletes competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The announcement has drawn varied reactions. Sports activist Riley Gaines expressed support for the IOC's stance, calling it a "win for team sanity" and clarifying that the policy bans "men" from women's sports. She also suggested that the SRY gene test is less intrusive than existing performance-enhancing drug screenings. Conversely, Caster Semenya criticized the policy, suggesting it was driven by "political pressure" and "stigma" rather than scientific consideration or athlete welfare.

The exact number of athletes who might be affected by the new ban during the 2028 Games remains undetermined.