The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ruled that eligibility for the women’s category of Olympics events will now be limited to biological females, starting from the LA 2028 Games.

The IOC’s new policy rules that eligibility for the women’s category will be determined by a one-time gene-screening test, in a move the IOC said would “ensure fairness and protect safety, particularly in contact sports”.

The IOC said any athletes found to posses the SRY gene would be ineligible for the women’s category. “Based on scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced male sex development,” the IOC said in a statement.

The IOC reviewed its policy following the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the ruling was announced by new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who said after taking over last year that the organisation would take a uniform approach.

“At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat,” Coventry said. “So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

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