IOC Says No Final Decision Yet On Transgender Women In Sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Monday that it has not yet made a final decision on universal eligibility rules for transgender women in sports. 

An IOC spokesperson stated that a working group, known as the “Protection of the Female Category” group, is still meeting and reviewing the issue. “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic, and no decisions have been taken yet,” the spokesperson added. 

The shift follows a major policy change in June when IOC President Kirsty Coventry announced that the IOC would move from allowing individual sports federations to handle gender eligibility rules to taking a centralized leadership role. 

International federations have already introduced strict regulations: World Rugby and World Athletics ban transgender women who have undergone male puberty from female elite events; World Aquatics allows only those who transitioned before age 12 in the female category. 

“We understand it’s complex,” said Coventry earlier this year. “We must protect the female category, and we must approach this scientifically.”