GENEVA — The discussion around permitting transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports has taken a prominent seat among Olympic officials, especially following a recent executive order from former U.S. President Donald Trump that urges changes before the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
In a speech prior to signing the order, Trump expressed his desire for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reevaluate its stance on what he termed an “absolutely ridiculous subject.”
Current IOC President Thomas Bach, who had previously had a challenging meeting with Trump during his earlier presidency, has maintained a neutral position on the matter. Nevertheless, several candidates campaigning to succeed him have voiced their opinions.
Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, which oversees track and field, openly supported Trump’s viewpoint on social media. He emphasized the importance of “preserving the integrity of competition in the female category” and noted that clear and consistent guidelines are essential to ensure fairness.
The IOC currently offers guidance to sports organizations that ultimately decide the eligibility criteria. The organization has permitted transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics since 2004, but it wasn’t until 2021 that openly transgender athletes participated for the first time.
Major Olympic sports like track and field, swimming, and cycling have now imposed restrictions barring athletes who have undergone male puberty from competing in women’s international events. The IOC is set to elect a successor to Bach, who departs in June after reaching his 12-year term limit, during a meeting scheduled for March 20 in Greece. Some candidates have already taken clear positions on the topic of transgender inclusion.
Coe pointed out in his manifesto aimed at IOC voters that “at World Athletics, we have developed clear, consulted policies on female eligibility” and he would push for science-based policies protecting the female category. Another candidate, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., has emphasized the IOC’s responsibility to ensure clear guidelines to preserve distinctions between male and female competitors.
Johan Eliasch, the head of the ski federation, has stated he believes the IOC should establish rules based on biological realities rather than cultural shifts, arguing that puberty creates inherent physical advantages. He advocates for frameworks informed by scientific evidence rather than ideological perspectives.
Following the lead of swimming and athletics, the International Cycling Union adopted a similar transgender policy in July 2023. However, its president, David Lappartient, advised caution in his manifesto, suggesting that the IOC should provide overarching principles while allowing sports organizations to tailor their approaches as necessary.
The only woman among the candidates, Olympic gold medalist Kirsty Coventry, did not directly comment on the transgender issue in her manifesto, but she did highlight the need to strengthen women’s sports by protecting female athletes. In a recent BBC interview, she voiced her belief that fairness and equal opportunity cannot be achieved if transgender women are permitted to compete in the female category at this time, citing clear advantages.
Coventry, who serves as Zimbabwe’s sports minister, remarked that as time passes, the IOC will learn and enhance its rules and regulations surrounding this complex issue. The other candidates, including Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and gymnastics federation president Morinari Watanabe, did not specifically tackle transgender issues in their documents but emphasized gender equality and equitable opportunities.
The next president of the IOC will need to nurture a collaborative relationship with the Trump administration in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympics. Trump announced he instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security to deny visa applications for men trying to enter the U.S. while identifying as women athletes.
Trump has previously misrepresented the identities of two female Olympic boxers while campaigning, describing them as men, and claimed their participation in the Paris Games would be “demeaning to women,” despite both athletes being assigned female at birth.
In response to Trump’s statements, Bach said he was unaware of the comments and remarked that the IOC would continue to engage in discussions regarding these important topics with relevant authorities and international sports federations.
