World Athletics backs IOC rule barring transgender athletes from female category ahead of LA28

World Athletics has supported the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new eligibility rules that bar transgender athletes from competing in female category events, saying that “gender cannot trump biology” in elite sport.

A World Athletics spokesperson, responding to Xinhua, said the federation welcomed the IOC’s move, describing it as an important step toward ensuring fairness in women’s competition.

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“We have led the way in protecting women’s sport over the last decade. Attracting and retaining more girls and women into sport requires a fair and level playing field where there is no biological glass ceiling. This means that gender cannot trump biology. A consistent approach across all sport has to be a good thing,” the spokesperson said.

The IOC announced on Thursday that eligibility for female category events at the Olympic Games and other IOC competitions will now be limited to biological females. The decision, approved by the IOC Executive Board, will come into effect from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and will not be applied retroactively.

The new policy covers all female events, including both individual and team competitions. The IOC has also urged international sports federations to adopt similar eligibility standards for consistency across disciplines.

According to the IOC, eligibility will be determined through a one-time SRY gene screening, designed to detect the presence or absence of a Y chromosome-linked gene used to define biological sex.

“Eligibility for the female category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY gene,” the IOC said in its statement.

World Athletics has already implemented similar genetic testing measures ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, aiming to strengthen fairness and transparency in women’s events.