Overview
- IOC leaders approved the policy Thursday, March 26, 2026, reserving the female category for athletes who test negative for the SRY gene.
- The rule begins at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, applies across all IOC events, and does not change past results or cover recreational sport.
- International federations and national bodies must run the tests once per athlete using saliva, a cheek swab, or blood, with results kept for future entries.
- The policy allows narrow medical exceptions such as complete androgen insensitivity and directs SRY‑positive athletes to male, mixed, or open categories.
- The move replaces the IOC’s 2021 sport-by-sport approach and has drawn criticism from scientists and UN experts, who cite weak sport-specific evidence, privacy risks, uneven national laws, and likely legal challenges, even as it revives sex checks once used from 1968 to 1996.