Human rights groups call it a step backward. Supporters say it protects female athletes. The IOC chose a side.
In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which directed federal agencies to enforce biological sex definitions in athletics and threatened to deny visas to certain athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The order was one of several targeting transgender participation in sports at the federal level.
On March 26, 2026, the IOC published a new eligibility policy that aligns with that order. Transgender women are now excluded from all female Olympic events. Eligibility is based on a one time SRY gene test that screens for the Y chromosome. The IOC said the decision was guided by scientific evidence showing that male sex provides a performance advantage in every sport relying on strength, power, and endurance.
Critics say the timing is not a coincidence, with the next Olympics hosted in the country whose president demanded the change.
