In this photo illustration, IOC President Kirsty Coventry is seen on a computer screen as she speaks at a live-streamed press briefing from Lausanne, Switzerland about the newly announced ban on transgender athletes in women's events on March 26, 202 …
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday a new policy that will bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s events at the Olympics. The policy will be in effect starting with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
What we know:
The IOC explains, under the new policy, eligibility for any female category is limited to biological females which will be determined through a specific DNA test.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry announced the update in a live-stream media briefing, as part of the committee’s "Protection of the Female Category" working group.
What they're saying:
Acknowledging the sensitivity of the subject, Coventry said, "the policy we have announced is based on science, and it has been led by medical experts with the best interest of athletes at its heart," Coventry said. "The scientific evidence is very clear, male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power or endurance."
Dig deeper:
According to the IOC, their latest scientific evidence from a working group tasked with the protection of the female category, said the most accurate way to determine what sex a person was born, is to screen for the SRY gene. The SRY gene is a part of DNA that’s found in the Y chromosome that helps begin male sex development by indicating the presence of testes.
Screening for the SRY gene is done by cheek swabs, saliva or blood samples. The IOC concludes the SRY gene is fixed throughout a person’s lifetime and only necessary to test once per athlete.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the International Olympic Committee. This was reported from Orlando.