Olympics BAN transgender athletes from ALL women’s sports – in move which will block male weightlifter Laurel Hubbard and leave gender row boxer Imane Khelif facing sex test

Olympic chiefs have barred transgender athletes from all women’s sports after mandatory sex testing was announced under new rules.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says the once-in-a-lifetime SRY gene test will help ‘maintain fairness, security and integrity in the women’s category’.

It slams the door shut on transgender athletes like the already-retired Laurel Hubbard and forces people with Disorder of Sex Development (DSD) to prove they “do not benefit from the anabolic and/or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone.”

The IOC’s move comes after the World Athletics Championships last year made it mandatory for female athletes to take tests to compete in major championships or Diamond League events.

The decision follows high-profile controversy following claims that boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at the Paris 2024 Olympics failed gender conformity tests conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

Khelif, who won a gold medal in the women’s heavyweight boxing category at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has consistently denied being transgender and has been receiving treatment to lower her testosterone levels.

All athletes wishing to participate in women’s competitions must undergo sex testing (image: Imane Khelif)

The Algerian has also stated that he is open to sex testing for the competition, saying last month: ‘Of course, I would agree to do whatever I have to do to participate in the competitions. They must protect women, but they must be careful not to harm other women while protecting women.’

IOC president Kirsty Coventry said: ‘As a former athlete, I believe passionately in the right of all Olympians to participate in fair competitions. The policy we are announcing is based on science and carried out by medical professionals.

‘At the Olympic Games, even the smallest differences can make the difference between victory and defeat.

‘So it’s absolutely clear that it wouldn’t be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. Also, in some sports, this may not be completely safe.

‘Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect and athletes will only need to be screened once in their lifetime.

‘Expert medical advice should be available, as well as clear education about the process and counselling.’

A World Athletics spokesperson said: ‘We have led the way in protecting women’s sport over the last decade. Attracting and retaining more girls and women in sport requires a fair and level playing field without a biological glass ceiling. This means that gender cannot trump biology. A consistent approach across all sports must be a good thing.’

The IOC’s decision was welcomed by the likes of sports presenter Laura Woods and former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who commented under their posts with applause emojis.

However, Davies called for the policy to be expanded further, writing about X: ‘Olympics to announce trans ban in all women’s sports. The women’s category at the Olympics will be returned to women. This should also happen at the grassroots and recreational level. [levels]. ‘Gender-based protection cannot just be for the top one percent.’

Olympic chief Kirsty Coventry says new rule will help ensure the safety of female stars

The IOC’s new rules do not filter by grassroots or recreational sports programs, meaning young girls can still encounter transgender athletes in their disciplines.

SRY gene testing is a one-time saliva, cheek swab or blood test. It appears to be non-intrusive compared to other possible sex testing methods by the IOC. The SRY gene, located on the Y chromosome, is found in men.

Lin, who won the women’s featherweight boxing title in Paris, recently received permission to return to World Boxing competition after a sex test, casting doubt on the fairness of the controversy that engulfed her at the last Olympics.

Khelif and Lin have faced doubts over their gender eligibility for the Games after allegedly failing an International Boxing Association (IBA) sex test in 2023 and being kicked out of the World Championships. The IBA was discredited by the IOC.

Hubbard is a completely different case. The 48-year-old weightlifter is openly transgender and competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Hubbard was born in 1978 and named Gavin. The New Zealander made the switch in 2012, when she was 35, and won two World Championship silver medals in 2017 and competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

More than 80 human rights and sports advocacy groups recently called on the IOC to abandon plans for mandatory sex testing, but their calls were rejected.

Sex tests cost around £185. It is not yet clear whether financially strapped athletes will have to pay for testing themselves.

Last year, former British middle distance runner Lynsey Sharp said she would have won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics if gender testing rules had been in place at the time.

He finished sixth behind three athletes with DSD.

“Sometimes I look back and think I could have gotten an Olympic medal but I put all my time into it and those were the rules at the time,” he told Sky News. ‘Obviously, I wish I could race these days, but that was my time in the sport and that’s the way it was.’

Caster Semenya was a high-profile example of an athlete with DSD. Semenya was assigned female at birth and identifies as a woman, but had a higher than normal testosterone level for a woman. It has the typical male XY chromosome pattern.

Semenya won gold medals in the women’s 800 meters at the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Meanwhile, recent years have seen the sport tighten regulations around transgender athletes changing categories.

In 2020, World Rugby became the first international sports federation to ban ‘trans women’ from participating in sport at elite and international level.

However, in April last year, the Football Association refused to ban transgender players from playing in women’s matches.