Overview
- Under a new IOC policy for Los Angeles 2028, eligibility for the Olympic women’s category will hinge on a one-time test for the SRY gene that signals male sex development.
- The test can use saliva, an oral swab, or blood, and the IOC says SRY status stays the same for life, so a negative result grants permanent eligibility for women’s events.
- Athletes who test positive for SRY, including most transgender women and many intersex competitors, will be ineligible for the women’s category but may enter male, mixed, or open fields if offered.
- Kirsty Coventry said the rule is not retroactive and will not apply to grassroots or recreational sport, which means recent Olympic results such as Imane Khelif’s boxing gold will stand.
- Coverage notes this move revives sex verification practices used from 1968 to 1996 and aligns with policies in some federations and a U.S. executive order, setting up policy and legal scrutiny.