Olympics set to ban all transgender athletes across all sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reportedly preparing to ban transgender women from competing in all female categories, according to The Times. The official announcement is expected early next year following a scientific review into the physical advantages of biologically male athletes.

Sources cited by the report said the IOC’s decision follows extensive consultations and a review led by its medical and scientific department. The organisation’s spokesperson confirmed that “the working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet.”

Last week, IOC medical and scientific director Dr. Richard Budgett presented an update to members on the committee’s ongoing evaluation of gender eligibility in elite sports.

The move represents a major shift from the IOC’s previous stance, which left gender policy decisions to individual sporting federations. Former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time medallist and head of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said in June that the committee must “play a leading role” in setting standards for inclusion and fairness.

Coventry noted that IOC members had shown “overwhelming support” for protecting female categories, adding that a working group of experts and international federations had been tasked with building a global consensus.

The potential policy change comes amid broader international debate over transgender participation in women’s sports. In February, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring transgender women from competing in female divisions, stating the rule would apply to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He also pledged to deny visas to transgender athletes seeking entry to the U.S. for the Games.

If implemented, the IOC’s new policy would mark a definitive end to transgender inclusion in women’s Olympic events and establish a unified global standard for sex-based eligibility in elite competition.