Olympians react to IOC policy barring biological males from women’s sports

It was a day in Olympic history.

After the International Olympic Committee updated its policies to prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports, many Olympians came forward to give their reactions to the change.

Multiple Olympians, including gold medalists, shared their thoughts on the new policy with Fox News Digital.

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Kaillie Humphries, three-time Olympic gold medalist female bobsled athlete in the United States and Canada

Humphries told Fox News Digital: “Today is a great day for women’s sports and a huge victory in the Olympic world. The introduction of sex testing will allow for fair competition. This was happening years ago, and by bringing it back it will preserve the women’s category. It’s fitting that LA28 will be the games that will protect women’s sports, because that’s something our president has advocated for as well.” Humphries told Fox News Digital.

Donna de Varona, three-time Olympic gold medalist American female swimmer

President Ronald Reagan addressing the Women’s Sports Foundation with Donna De Varona. (Getty Images)

“With Christie Coventry being named Olympic Champion and the decision to appoint another woman to head the medical commission, it was informative that the IOC decided to go out to reach out to the researchers to ground that opinion in science and fairness. And it’s the right decision,” de Varona told Fox News Digital. he said. “Essentially, that decision was based on science and research. So basically I think everyone should have an opportunity in sports, but in the Olympic arena, it’s a zero-sum game.”

MyKayla Skinner, US gymnast silver medalist at Tokyo 2020

Mykayla Skinner of Team USA poses with the silver medal after the Women’s Vaulting Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Center in Tokyo, Japan on August 1, 2021. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

“The best news! It’s time!” Skinner told Fox News Digital.

Katie Uhlaender, American skeleton athlete, five-time Olympic champion

Katie Uhlaender from the USA, on March 7, 2025, in Lake Placid, New York, at Mt. Van Hoevenberg will also compete in the Women’s Skeleton Racing Tri Group on Day 2 of the 2025 IBSF World Championships. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

“This is a huge thing for women’s sports. Female athletes have wanted clarity, consistency and fairness in competition for years. Not politics. Not ambiguity. Just clear standards that protect the integrity of the category we’ve trained to compete in our entire lives. Sports only works when the rules are applied consistently and athletes can trust them,” Uhlaender told Fox News Digital.

“Progress comes not by avoiding difficult conversations, but by boldly addressing them. Thank you to everyone who helps make this happen, who protects women’s sports.”

Tyler Clary, US gold medal swimmer at London 2012

American swimmer Tyler Clary celebrates winning the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter backstroke final at the London 2012 Olympic Games in London on August 2, 2012. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP)

“This is a long overdue return to common sense, and the IOC deserves credit for taking a clear stance. Fairness at the elite level is important, and protecting the category of women based on biological reality is essential to preserving it,” Clary told Fox News Digital.

“As an Olympian, I dedicated my life to competing on a directed playing field – one that was tilted and inclusive. Women’s sport exists because biological differences matter – the strength, power and muscle developed throughout male adolescence are indelible, and to pretend otherwise erases us. Fairness is not controversial. Let little girls dream of gold – do not let those dreams fade or be tarnished.”

Maciej Czyzowicz, Polish 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalist pentathlete

Polish Pentathalon gold medalist Maciej Czyzowicz (Courtesy of Maciej Czyzowicz)

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Czyzowicz said: “Better late than never. This decision by the IOC is a big step in the right direction. After all, it has long been known that one cannot change one’s gender, and if someone is born male, they will still remain male, even if they start wearing women’s clothing. There are also significant differences in strength and speed between the two genders, which puts female athletes at a disadvantage from the very beginning.”

“So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological men to compete in the female category. And in some sports it would simply not be safe. I believe that this decision protects women’s sports, especially by preventing transgender athletes from competing against biological women.”

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Inga Thompson, American female cyclist, three-time Olympic champion

“If men are allowed to compete in women’s sports, over time, even the opportunities for women to compete at the Olympic level will disappear. In the Olympics, you will have two categories: DSD/trans and the men’s category. The sex test worked very well and was not invasive. Take a simple buccal cheek swab once in your life,” Thompson told Fox News Digital.

Nancy Hogshead, three-time US Olympic gold medalist swimmer

Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead (Courtesy of XX-XY Athletics)

“Playing sport is a human right. Today’s IOC announcement confirms this principle of inclusion and diversity. All athletes must compete in their categories – their weight, their age, their ability category and now their gender category. On behalf of women in sport, thank you for your leadership, IOC,” Hogshead said in a statement.

Martina Navratilova, women’s tennis legend and 2004 Athens Olympian

Former Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova received the golden racket at the Italian international tennis competition in Foro Italico. Rome (Italy), 21 May 2023. (Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

“Welcome news from the IOC today. People who adopt different gender identities, such as transgender, gender non-conforming or others, should be granted the same human rights as other citizens and protected from discrimination, as long as gender-based rights are not compromised,” Navratilova said in a statement. he said.

“This is what the gay, lesbian and bisexual community has been fighting for for decades. Today’s IOC decision recognizes that sex issues and women’s gender-based rights in Olympic sports must take precedence over gender-based identities.”

Giddeon Massie, American male cyclist, two-time Olympic champion

“There’s really little to praise about the IOC’s woefully slow decision. It was always supposed to be a very simple and basic logical conclusion, unequivocally grounded in God’s design for men and women,” Massie told Fox News Digital.

“Our female Olympic and Paralympic athletes are working hard to have their dreams of success undermined by a man’s deception of the truth. Unfortunately, the battlefields between the public and the recreational sports arenas remain vast, and these battles must be continued for the sake of young ladies everywhere, now and in the future.”

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Carrie Englert Zimmerman, US female gymnast in Montreal 1976

“In the end, the International Olympic Committee showed some balls and chose justice over fear. As an Olympian, I dedicated my life to competing on a manipulated playing field; one that was tilted and disguised as inclusivity,” Zimmerman told Fox News Digital.

“Women’s sport exists because biological differences matter – the strength, power and muscles developed during male adolescence are indelible, and to pretend otherwise erases us. Fairness is not controversial. Let little girls dream of gold – don’t let those dreams fade or be tarnished.”

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