IOC mandates gene screening to protect women’s sports
The International Olympic Committee announces a new policy for women’s sports, mandating gene screening to ensure only biological females compete, citing fairness and safety. Former Olympian Kirsty Coventry and others advocate for the policy, with Caitlyn Jenner noting a “domino effect” on other sports organizations. The move comes as US gas prices rise, affecting Americans’ personal financial situations, with a Fox News poll showing 46% are falling behind financially.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is eliminating its Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission, as the organization undergoes cultural changes under its new president Kirsty Coventry. Under Coventry, the most notable change came earlier this year, when the IOC explicitly banned biological males from women’s sports.
This week’s cuts come as part of a restructuring that will replace 12 permanent advisory bodies with smaller working groups assembled to address specific issues.
Friday’s announcement comes months after the IOC adopted new eligibility rules reserving women’s Olympic events for biological females beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a policy addressing a central issue in the debate over fairness and safety in women’s sports.
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A general view of the Olympic rings in front of the Olympia delle Tofane ski run during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games – 1 Year To Go event on February 06, 2025 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
The IOC’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights is also being discontinued, alongside commissions covering sustainability, technology, education and commercial partnerships. The organization said the changes followed more than a year of consultation and review.
According to The Associated Press, the overhaul is a streamlining and cost-cutting measure that leaves 19 committees in place. The outgoing groups typically included between 10 and 30 members who gathered annually in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IOC said in an official announcement that the new arrangement would enable “more targeted engagement on key strategic priorities and policy development.” Its Athletes’ Commission, Ethics Commission, Audit Committee and other institutional bodies will continue operating.
Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry meets the media in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
Under President Kirsty Coventry, the IOC has already used a smaller expert group to examine eligibility for women’s competition. According to AP, the panel’s membership was kept confidential, and the review proceeded outside the gender equality and inclusion commission now being eliminated.
The resulting policy, announced March 26, requires a one-time screening for the SRY gene, which is typically associated with male sex development. It excludes transgender women from female Olympic events and also affects some athletes with differences in sex development, with limited exceptions. The rules do not apply retroactively or to recreational sports.
Coventry defended the policy as necessary to protect competition.
“It would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category,” she said when the rules were announced. She also emphasized athletes’ dignity, access to counseling and medical guidance.
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The policy aligns with President Donald Trump’s push for sex-based eligibility in women’s sports. His February 2025 executive order directed the secretary of state to press the IOC to adopt standards based on sex rather than gender identity or testosterone reduction.
The IOC’s approach has drawn sharply different responses. Reem Alsalem, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, welcomed the eligibility policy as protecting female athletes’ fairness and safety. Human Rights Watch opposed mandatory genetic screening, arguing it threatens privacy and can expose women with variations in sex characteristics to discrimination.
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Friday’s restructuring follows a pause in the affected commissions’ work that began in February. The IOC said it will now bring together experts through working groups with clearly defined assignments to guide future decisions.