Overview
- A coalition led by the Sport & Rights Alliance, ILGA World, and Humans of Sport urged the IOC to abandon reported plans for universal genetic sex verification in women’s sport.
- Multiple sources have said an IOC working group advised testing all women and girls and barring transgender and intersex athletes from women’s events, though the IOC has not confirmed this.
- An IOC spokesperson said discussions continue and no decisions have been taken, with an announcement expected in the first half of 2026.
- Advocates warn genetic testing would violate privacy and pose safeguarding risks to child athletes, and they argue the reported measures contradict the IOC’s 2021 inclusion framework.
- International bodies have condemned sex testing as discriminatory, and World Athletics has already introduced an SRY gene test ahead of last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.