Olympic Committee Expected To Ban Men From Women’s Events Before Winter Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to ban men identifying as women from competing in female events before the next games, The Times reported on Monday.

The pending decision follows a comprehensive review examining whether males retain physical advantages even after lowering testosterone levels, according to The Times, which reported its sources say the move will be likely be announced in February. The issue came under intense scrutiny during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris when two boxers won gold medals despite earlier disqualifications for failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.

The IOC confirmed on Monday that the work on the move continues but noted no official decision has “been taken yet.”

Until now, gender-related regulations have been left to each sport’s governing body rather than being dictated by a universal IOC policy. However, IOC President Kirsty Coventry signaled in June that this could change, emphasizing the need for “protecting” the women’s category.

“We understand that there’ll be differences depending on the sport … but it was very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness,” Coventry said at the time. “But we need to do that with a scientific approach and the inclusion of the international federations who have already done a lot of work in this area.”