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IOC Requires Genetic Testing for Women's Olympic Events
The IOC will require one-time genetic testing for female competitors starting in 2028, excluding transgender women and many intersex athletes to protect fairness and safety, officials said.
- On Thursday, March 26, 2026, the International Olympic Committee announced a one-time SRY gene screening requirement for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, effectively barring transgender women and many athletes with differences in sex development from female events.
- IOC President Kirsty Coventry announced the policy to "ensure fairness and protect safety, particularly in contact sports," following intense scrutiny of eligibility rules during the 2024 Paris Olympics when boxer Imane Khelif's eligibility was questioned.
- The mandatory SRY screening, conducted via saliva, cheek swab, or blood, will determine eligibility; two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya called the policy "a disrespect for women" and questioned its scientific foundation.
- Semenya pledged a "vocal fight" against the regulation, stating "we're going to make noise until we're heard," and criticized the IOC's consultation process as merely "ticking the box" rather than genuine engagement.
- Legal challenges appear likely as critics question the SRY test's scientific reliability, while human rights advocates argue the mandatory screening may unintentionally exclude intersex women and violate privacy rights.
115 Articles
115 Articles
Caster Semenya slams Olympic sex testing: 'Disrespect for women'
Two-time Olympic track champion Caster Semenya has criticised the International Olympic Committee’s recent decision to make female athletes undergo a sex test in order to compete in the women’s categories. Speaking at a press conference in Cape Town, Semenya called the new eligibility criteria “a disrespect for women”. The IOC announced the ban on 26 March, sharing that eligibility for female sporting events will be determined by one-time gene-s…
Semenya vows to fight against IOC's gene-screening policy
March 31 : Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya says she intends to fight against the introduction of gender testing for the female category at the Olympics, a policy the South African insists "undermines women's rights".The International Olympic Committee unveiled the policy last week and it is expected to
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