LA28 Olympics: IOC Mandates SRY Test for Female Athletes

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it will tighten eligibility for the women’s category across Olympic sports starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Under the new framework, the IOC said the women’s category will be reserved for biological females, excluding transgender women and athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) who have experienced male puberty.

What changed and when

The IOC announced the policy on March 26, 2026, describing it as a shift toward a single, Olympic-wide standard rather than sport-by-sport rules.

Previously, the IOC’s approach left eligibility decisions largely to international federations that govern each sport. The new policy, as described by the IOC, applies universally and requires federations to align their regulations with the IOC’s guidelines.

How eligibility will be decided

The IOC said eligibility for the women’s category will be determined through a “once-in-a-lifetime” screening for the SRY gene, a marker associated with the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome.

The test can be conducted using saliva, a cheek swab, or a blood sample. The IOC characterized the process as not intrusive.

Athletes who test negative for the SRY gene will, under the IOC’s plan, meet the women’s-category eligibility requirement on a permanent basis. Athletes who test positive would remain eligible to compete in the men’s category or in open categories where those exist.

Rationale and policy context

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the decision was guided by medical experts, and she framed the change around fairness and safety in competition.

The IOC said the move followed an 18-month review of scientific evidence that it described as showing a performance advantage for biological males in events that rely on strength, power, and endurance.

Some sports had already adopted restrictions affecting transgender women, including athletics and swimming, but those rules were not previously mandated across the entire Olympic program. The IOC’s announcement signals a broader standard that would apply regardless of the sport’s prior policy.

Implications, limits, and open questions

The decision is set to affect athletes, national Olympic committees, and international federations as they prepare qualification pathways for Los Angeles 2028. It also creates a single compliance requirement that could reshape how federations design categories and manage eligibility processes.

At the same time, the IOC’s announcement leaves key operational details unclear, including how testing will be administered across countries and sports, what oversight mechanisms will apply, and how open categories would be implemented where they do not currently exist.

With the policy now positioned as an Olympic-wide baseline, federations face a defined timeline to update rules ahead of LA 2028, while athletes and teams will need clarity on procedures and appeals as the new standard is rolled out.