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After much controversy in the last few years, the elite levels of sports may be making a return to sanity.
In a major win for women’s sports, the International Olympic Committee issued a new policy on Thursday effectively banning trans-identifying athletes from competing in the category that aligns with their gender identity, though not from competing in the category that aligns with their biology.
‘The IOC determined that a sex-based eligibility rule is necessary and adequate to the attainment of the IOC’s goals for competition at IOC Events.’
The IOC echoed two conclusions that many conservative activists have been saying for years: “Male sex … confers performance advantage in all sports and events that rely on strength, power, and/or endurance,” and “to protect fairness in such sports and events, as well as safety particularly in contact sports (e.g. combat, collision, projectile sports), it is necessary and adequate to base eligibility for competition on biological sex.”
This new policy comes after the IOC’s “broad-based review” of the IOC’s framework for women’s sports. The review was launched in September 2024 and concluded this month.
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Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images
The policy, which replaces any and all previous policies that allowed trans-identifying athletes to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex, is aligned with President Trump’s February 5, 2025, executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
The IOC also acknowledged that this announcement would be upsetting to trans-identifying athletes and activists but that they intend to move forward with the policy: “The IOC recognises that XY athletes who identify as women and who want the opportunity to compete at IOC Events according to their legal sex or gender identity may disagree with this policy. However, after a thorough scientific review and consultations with constituents of the Olympic Movement, the IOC determined that a sex-based eligibility rule is necessary and adequate to the attainment of the IOC’s goals for competition at IOC Events.”
As expected, the outrage machine was not far behind the announcement.
CNN’s headline on social media read: “Transgender women athletes are banned from competing in the Olympics following new IOC guidelines,” despite there being no mention of banning anyone from competing.
Jennifer Sey, the CEO of XX-XY Athletes, called out CNN for the misleading headline and summarized the actual policy of the IOC: “No one is banned. Stop lying. Men can compete in men’s.”
Riley Gaines likewise issued a clarification for anyone misled by the headlines: “‘Trans women’ haven’t been banned from women’s sports. Men have. Hope this helps!”
The IOC made clear that this policy is “not retroactive” and will be applicable for the first time at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Blaze News reached out to XX-XY Athletes and CNN for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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