The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday, the 26th, a new policy that will allow only biological females to participate in women's sports events leading up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

According to The Hill, the policy prohibits male athletes who identify as women from competing in women's sports.

The IOC stated in a release, "Under this policy, eligibility for women's events will be determined by a 'presence of the SRY gene' through an SRY gene test as a primary basis." This test determines if an individual possesses the male Y chromosome.

The IOC stated that athletes would undergo testing through saliva, oral swabs, or blood tests, and based on the results, "athletes who test positive for the SRY gene will be ineligible to compete in women's events at IOC-sanctioned competitions."

IOC member Kirsty Coventry said in a statement, "As a former athlete, I strongly believe in every Olympic athlete's right to fair competition," adding, "This policy we have announced is based on scientific evidence and has been developed with medical experts."

She continued, "In Olympic competition, even the smallest margins can determine victory or defeat," explaining, "Therefore, it is clear that it is not fair for biological males to compete in women's categories. Furthermore, in some sports, it may simply not be safe."

Coventry added, "All athletes deserve dignity and respect, and athletes will only have to undergo this test once in their lifetime," and "Clear education and counseling services should be provided for this process, along with professional medical advice."

This policy was developed based on the findings of the IOC's "Women's Sports Protection Working Group," which was formed to ensure fairness in women's sports.

According to the IOC, the working group's findings suggested that athletes born male possess physical advantages, leading to the development of a policy stating, "Eligibility should be based on biological sex."

The new policy also restricts female athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD). Athletes like South African track and field runner Caster Semenya, who was born female but has naturally high testosterone levels, will face restrictions on competition. Semenya criticized this policy change as "exclusion with a new name."

In an interview with The New York Times, Semenya said, "I have lived with this burden, and so have other women of color who deserve better treatment in sports," and "Reintroducing genetic testing is not progress, it is a step backward."

The committee stated, "Athletes who test positive for the SRY gene will be ineligible to compete in women's events at IOC-sanctioned competitions, with the exception of athletes diagnosed with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) or other rare differences/disorders of sex development (DSD) who do not benefit from the anabolic and/or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone."

US NNP=Sung Ku Hong, Editor-in-Chief / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com