• IOC president Kirsty Coventry leads discussions on banning transgender women from female categories.
• No final decision on the ban has been made, but it could be announced in early 2026.
• The move responds to growing concerns about fairness in women's sports.
• Controversies surrounding athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) also pose challenges.
• The IOC's approach aims for a unified policy across all sports events.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering a ban on transgender women competing in women's events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a significant step led by newly elected president Kirsty Coventry. She emphasizes the need to "protect fairness in female sports," intending to unify the rules across various sports, which currently vary based on individual testosterone regulations, according to India Times, LA Times, and BBC.

Coventry's leadership has initiated a working group to conduct science-based evaluations on the physical advantages associated with being born male. Although reports suggested that a definitive ban might be implemented early in 2026, the IOC has stated multiple times that "no decisions have been taken yet," indicating ongoing discussions among its members. The outcomes of these discussions may be revealed at an upcoming session in February before the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, according to LA Times and BBC.

Recent controversies have intensified the debate, especially regarding athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) like Algeria's Imane Khelif, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Challenges arise from athletes who were raised as female but possess male chromosomes, leading to significant scrutiny on maintaining fairness in competition. Khelif's situation, along with that of Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, has led the IOC to reconsider policies addressing both transgender athletes and DSD athletes, according to India Times and LA Times.

Furthermore, the political backdrop is complicated by U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender women from competing in female sports in U.S. schools, which aims to extend to the 2028 Olympics. With calls for coherent and equitable policies, Coventry urges that the overarching principle in these discussions must always be to "protect the female category," stressing the importance of scientific evidence in policy formation, as reported by India Times, LA Times, and BBC.