Sex test used in IOC’s new transgender ban more likely to exclude from Olympics intersex women who were assigned female at birth

Genetic testing is now required to participate in women’s events in the Olympics. But the new policy oversimplifies biological sex and risks discrimination against some female athletes.

By: Ari Berkowitz, University of Oklahoma, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 30, 2026

Words: 1,443

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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By Ari Berkowitz, University of Oklahoma

The International Olympic Committee announced a new policy on March 26, 2026, for women’s competitions: Every athlete must be tested for a gene called SRY, usually found on the Y chromosome. Males typically have a Y chromosome and females typically don’t, so the IOC says this requirement will exclude “biological males.” This announcement comes as planning for the 2028 Summer Olympics, hosted in Los Angeles, is underway.

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