The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that it will reintroduce gender eligibility testing for female categories, ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Under the new policy, participation in women’s events at IOC competitions will be restricted to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening. The test may be conducted using a saliva sample, cheek swab, or blood test.
The decision marks a shift from the IOC’s 2021 framework, which allowed individual sports federations to set their own eligibility rules. The new approach establishes a uniform policy across all Olympic sports.
“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event… is now limited to biological females,” the IOC said in a statement.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the policy is grounded in scientific guidance and medical expertise.
“At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” she said. “It is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In some sports, it would simply not be safe.”
The move follows controversy during the 2024 Paris Olympics, particularly in women’s boxing involving Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting. Both athletes had previously been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association over eligibility concerns, but were later cleared by the IOC to compete in Paris, where they each won gold medals.
Lin has since been approved to compete in women’s events by World Boxing, which is set to oversee boxing at the Los Angeles Games.
Gender testing in Olympic competition was first introduced in 1968 and last used at the 1996 Atlanta Games, before being discontinued following criticism from the scientific community.
