TRANSGENDER women are set to be banned from all female Olympic events from next year.
International Olympic Committee bosses launched a scientific probe of the issue last year.
That came after the Paris 2024 Games were hijacked by the row over gold medal winning boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting.
According to the Times, IOC members were shown a presentation by medical and scientific director Dr Jane Thornton.
A source said the presentation by former Canadian Olympic rower Thornton featured scientific research that showed there were “physical advantages to being born male that remained with athletes”.
It added that those advantages also applied to those who had undergone treatment to lower their testosterone levels.
Until now, the IOC has ruled that transgender women can compete with reduced testosterone levels if that is approved by their individual sports.
World Athletics, led by Seb Coe, has led the clampdown on trans women competing.
And new IOC head, former Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry, is ready to order the new approach to come into effect for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortino in February.
After Coventry became the organisation’s new president in June, she vowed to protect the female category in future competitions.
She had put together a taskforce of scientists and federations to produce a new policy amid recent controversies at Olympic events.
The review was based on research into the advantages of transgender athletes and those with differences of sexual development (DSD) – including Khelif.
Khelif, 26, has insisted she was born and raised as a girl.
People with differences in sex development (DSD) have biological components of both sexes.
The IOC’s initial policy was based on recommendations and guidance, but hadn’t actually been part of its eligibility regulations.
Previously, Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand had been allowed to compete at Tokyo 2020, becoming the first transgender athlete to appear at an Olympics.
According to the BBC, the IOC said: “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet”.
It came after Coventry’s strong stance on protecting women in Olympic competition as she laid out her plans earlier this year.
She said: “There was overwhelming support that we should protect the female category. And with that, we will set up a working group made up of experts and international federations.
“It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this.
“And that we should be the ones to bring together the experts and the international federations and ensure that we find consensus.
“We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that as members that, as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on protection of the female category.”
She reiterated that the IOC would not take retrospective action to change the results of previous Games.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/15466412/transgender-women-olympic-ban-imane-khelif/
