Sport and human rights advocates are calling on the Australian Olympic Committee to reject new eligibility guidelines for the women’s category released by the International Olympic Committee overnight.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced changes that will ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s events at the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics.
“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females,” the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.
It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level globally.
No woman who transitioned from male competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, with the last trans woman competitor being weightlifter Laurel Hubbard at the 2021 Tokyo Games, who didn’t win a medal.
The eligibility policy will apply from the LA Olympics in July 2028, with the IOC saying it protects “fairness, safety and integrity.”
All athletes wanting to qualify or take part in female category events will have to undergo an SRY gene test to determine their eligibility.
“Based on scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced male sex development,” the IOC said in a statement.
The Olympic body had initially declined to apply any universal rule on transgender participation, but new IOC President Kirsty Coventry made a U-turn on that decision when she was elected.
“At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” Ms Coventry said.
“So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports, it would simply not be safe.”
However, advocates in Australia have denounced the policy, saying it will make all women targets for harassment and abuse.
Approximately 0.9% of Australians are transgender and gender diverse, and 0.3% of Australians know they were born with variations of sex characteristics.
If enacted, advocates say the guidelines would likely breach Australia’s anti-discrimination laws.
“If these rules are adopted, it could mean that when you sign your daughter up to play sport, she may be subjected to sex testing just to participate,” said human rights lawyer and Olympic swimmer Nikki Dryden.
“Worse, it creates a culture where someone like a coach, an official, or even another parent feels entitled to question whether your daughter ‘looks female enough’ to belong.”
Equality Australia’s legal director Heather Corkill agreed, saying the approach risks breaching Australia’s obligations to protect fundamental human rights.
“International sporting bodies can’t just override our strong state and federal discrimination laws by encouraging unfair, differential treatment based on sex, gender identity and sex characteristics,” she said.
“Sporting bodies should be putting the rights and dignity of all women athletes front and centre, ensuring they can compete free from invasive scrutiny and discrimination.”
Pride in Sport’s national program manager Ben Cork said a blanket ban risked undermining the inclusive progress many sports have made.
“This decision from the IOC does not support that goal and may place sporting organisations at risk of breaching Australian law and acting inconsistently with the National Integrity Framework,” he said.
“It instead risks creating environments where some people feel excluded from the very communities sport is meant to bring together.”
The Australian Olympic Committee acknowledged the decision, with President Ian Chesterman commending the IOC President for her leadership.
“This decision provides clarity for elite female athletes who compete at the highest level and demonstrates a commitment to fairness, safety and integrity in Olympic competition, all of which are fundamental principles of the Olympic Movement,” he said.
“The AOC also recognises this decision will be challenging for some athletes and is mindful of their welfare and wellbeing, and has contacted member sports to offer support. We also acknowledge this decision does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programs.”
A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found transgender women likely do not retain athletic advantages over cisgender women after undergoing hormone therapy.
The report analysed 52 previous studies of trans athletes’ performance compared to cis peers and found that trans women’s physical performance generally tended to match that of cis women after a year or more of hormone therapy.
