Olympic gender ban 'discriminatory and not supported by science'

Of the tens of thousands of athletes who have participated in Olympic events since 1999, just one has identified as a transgender woman – Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand. She did not place in her event in 2021.

More than 100 human rights, sports and scientific groups, including the UN, have criticised the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new gender eligibility guidelines as “a blunt and discriminatory response that is not supported by science and violates international human rights law”.

The IOC’s new guidelines, announced on Friday, mandate genetic sex tests for all athletes competing in its women’s categories, as well as blanket bans of people who identify as transgender, intersex or with sex differences.