New Delhi: The International Olympic Committee has announced the reintroduction of gender testing to determine eligibility for athletes competing in the female category at Olympic events.
Under the new policy, participation in women’s competitions at the 2028 Summer Olympics will be limited to biological females. The rule is also expected to exclude athletes with differences in sexual development from the women’s category.
The decision replaces guidelines introduced in 2021 that allowed individual sports federations to create their own eligibility rules. The IOC has now opted for a unified approach across all Olympic sports to ensure consistency in participation criteria.
According to the policy, eligibility for female events will be determined through a one time screening for the SRY gene, which is typically associated with male biological development. The screening may be conducted using a saliva sample, cheek swab or blood test.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the decision was guided by scientific evidence and recommendations from medical experts. She emphasised that fairness in competition is crucial at the Olympic level, where even the smallest performance differences can influence results.
Coventry also stated that allowing biological males to compete in the female category could raise concerns about fairness and, in some sports, potential safety issues for athletes.
The move comes after controversy surrounding the women’s boxing competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The event drew global attention following debates about eligibility involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.
Both athletes had previously been excluded from the 2023 world championships organised by the International Boxing Association after failing eligibility tests. However, the IOC allowed them to compete in Paris, stating that their earlier exclusion had been sudden and unclear.
Both fighters went on to win gold medals at the Games. Lin has since been cleared to compete in women’s events organised by World Boxing, which will oversee boxing competitions at the 2028 Olympics.
Gender testing was first introduced at the 1968 Summer Olympics and continued until the 1996 Summer Olympics before being discontinued after facing criticism from sections of the scientific community. The new policy marks the return of such testing after nearly three decades.
