IOC to create "The Protection of the Female Category Working Group"

[IwantToRetire]

The Protection of the Female Category Working Group will look at how we can best protect the female category. The group will consist of experts and IFs. The names of the members of the working group will remain confidential for now to protect the integrity of the group and their work.

https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/fit-for-the-future-ioc-president-creates-four-new-working-groups (5 Sept 2025)

There maybe more information somewhere but this is all I could find, but only a quick search.

Do you know what "IFs" are?

No - but if you can trust AI it stands for "International Federations".

I’m glad they are taking action but a ‘working group’ seems like overkill.

Cheek swab chromosome test.

Men compete in the men’s category.

Women compete in the women’s category.

It’s not rocket science.

Yes but they balls up so badly they need to find a way of making it look like they aren't total idiots.

A working group might give them the cover to do what they should have done all along.

30 seconds to discuss and agree who can compete in the women’s category and 56,467,898 hours to figure out how they write the new rules and communicate them in a way that panders to males that want to compete in the women’s category so they don’t have any kind of sad feeling about it.

I’m a bit worried about who will be on this confidential group

Have to say I am not really not that interested in sport, so maybe someone who is could check back to the IOC web site every now and again and see if the announce more details.

Unfortunately it isn’t entirely that simple as the IOC is subject to legal challenges-it’s had to back down and change policy on DSDs several times and needs to make a robust case for it’s rules that will stand up to legal challenges. It’s not necessarily as simple as a cheek swab, though that should deal with trans performers.

I worry about the fact it’s going to be in secret. That hasn’t tended to serve women well to date.

I’m taking bets about how many of the secret group with have vaginas. I guess <50%.

Exactly this. Let’s pander to the people who can’t accept sex is binary by pretending that it’s SO complicated that we need a ‘working group’ to explain that men are men and women are women. FFS 🤦‍♀️

As many as that?!

I worry about the fact it’s going to be in secret. That hasn’t tended to serve women well to date.

I wonder if the secrecy is to protect the working group against harassment. I am not in to conspiracies and think if this group were working to anything more than getting a sound policy that protects women in sport, then it would be an incredibly stupid thing to do. The tide has turned and women's sport is the most scrutinised of all. Sharron Davies et al would be on the case in seconds.

I can see legitimate reasons for the secrecy but also worry that it then allows the membership to be full on TWAW to their heart’s content. I wonder if they will publish details of the evidence they scrutinise?

How are we at a place where we sit back and accept it as that this group will be confidential rather than openly going about their business asking for ratified data from all sources?
Is it because no one would volunteer otherwise due to the inevitable backlash from TRAs?
It's shocking that groups are so cowed by TRA activism that they have to sneak around to do important work. Isn't that the definition of terrorism?

Exactly this.👍🏻