Beginning early next year, transgender athletes and those with differences in sexual development (DSD) will reportedly face exclusion from participating in women’s Olympic events.

According to The Times, this decision follows an in-depth scientific review conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), assessing the inherent physical advantages associated with being born male.

In the past, individual Olympic sports organizations had the discretion to allow transgender women to compete, provided they had lowered their testosterone levels.

This resulted in some sports, like athletics and swimming, prohibiting athletes who had experienced male puberty, while others, such as football, did not implement such bans.

However, this approach is set to change under the leadership of new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who has consistently expressed her commitment to safeguarding the integrity of women’s categories.

This means that transgender athletes are set to be banned across all Olympic sports, potentially resolving an issue that has been hugely controversial in recent years.

Transgender athletes will reportedly be banned from competing in female competitions at the Olympics from early next year (pictured – transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand)

There have been reports Imane Khelif is DSD, but not confirmation. Under the new policy, which comes after a science-based IOC review, DSD athletes would also be banned

The policy is similarly reportedly expected to cover DSD athletes. That refers to those who have been raised as girls from birth but also have male chromosomes and levels of testosterone similar to males. 

Reports have previously suggested boxing champion Imane Khelif is DSD but this has not been confirmed.

The report goes on to add that Dr Jane Thornton, who is the IOC’s medical and scientific director and a former Canadian Olympic rower, presented the findings of the review to members at an IOC meeting in Lausanne last week. 

Thornton’s presentation was said to show that transgender athletes who had taken treatments to reduce testosterone levels still maintained physical advantages over their counterparts. 

One source told The Times: ‘It (the presentation) was a very scientific, factual and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence.’

The details of the new policy are yet to be finalised, with work needed to ensure it is legally OK, but the report adds that once that is sorted, the new directive is expected to be shared early in 2026.

Until now, the IOC’s policy has been shaped by various recommendations and guidance to sports rather than specific eligibility criteria. 

An IOC statement on Monday said: ‘An update was given by the IOC’s Director of Health, Medicine and Science to the IOC Members last week during the IOC commission meetings. 

‘The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet. Further information will be provided in due course.’

IOC President Kirsty Coventry has expressed her desire to ‘protect the female category’

Speaking back in June, Coventry, who competed in the Olympics as a swimmer for Zimbabwe, revealed her plans in this area. 

She said: ‘We understand there will be differences depending on the sports.

‘We should make the effort to place emphasis on the protection of the female category and we should ensure that this is done in consensus with all the stakeholders.

‘But we need to do that with a scientific approach and the inclusion of the international federations who have already done a lot of work in this area.’ 

The latest policy comes following the major controversy that took place at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024.

Back then both Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-Ting won gold. That came despite the pair having been banned from the World Championships the previous year amid allegations they failed to meet gender eligibility criteria.  

Since then, World Boxing, the IOC-recognised international boxing federation, have brought in mandatory sex testing. They have confirmed that athletes must undergo the test if they wish to compete in the female category.