(LifeSiteNews) — Gender-confused males will now no longer be eligible to compete in women’s Olympic events, according to an announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday.
The policy goes into effect beginning with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“The policy that we have announced is based on science,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a former double Olympic champion, in a video posted to social media. “It has been made by medical experts with the best interest of athletes at its heart.”
“The scientific evidence is very clear. Male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” said Coventry.
“At the Olympic games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” she noted. “So it’s absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category.”
“In some sports, it would simply not be safe,” said Coventry. “Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect, and athletes will only need to be screened once in their lifetime.”
The International Olympic Committee announces new Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport.
Read: https://t.co/QcU5IVxyTi pic.twitter.com/3brHorx1k8
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 26, 2026
The IOC’s just-published Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport and Guiding Considerations for International Federations and Sports Governing Bodies states:
- 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, determined on the basis of a one‑time SRY gene screening.
- Evidence‑based and expert‑informed, the policy – applicable for the LA28 Olympic Games onwards – protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category.
- It is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programmes.
The policy clearly explains that, “for all disciplines on the sports programme of an IOC event, including the Olympic Games and for both individual and team sports, eligibility for any female category is limited to biological females.”
Riley Gaines — a former All-American swimmer whose experience being forced to compete against gender-confused male, William “Lia” Thomas, led her to become an outspoken activist against males in women’s and girls’ sports — responded, “Bravo, IOC.”
Dissenters will inevitably claim that SRY gene screening is invasive. It isn’t. It’s a simple cheek swab. There are NO genital inspections.
Btw, getting your brain tickled with a Qtip like we did during COVID is far more invasive than the SRY gene screening.
Bravo, IOC. pic.twitter.com/HAeQ18NB5l
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 26, 2026