Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic events

383 replies

Misla · 10/11/2025 11:54

About time!!

IOC likely to announce new policy early in new year after findings of a scientific review about the permanent physical advantages of being born male

The International Olympic Committee is set to announce a ban on transgender women in female competition early next year after a science-based review of evidence about permanent physical advantages of being born male.

The IOC’s guidance to Olympic sports has until now been that transgender women can compete with reduced testosterone levels but leaves it up to individual sports to decide. That is now set to change under its new president, Kirsty Coventry, who has promised to protect the female category.

The committee’s medical and scientific director, Dr Jane Thornton, last week presented to IOC members at a meeting in Lausanne the initial findings of a science-based review into the issues of transgender athletes and athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) competing in female sport.

Free-to-read link: https://archive.is/kGpyI

Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic events

Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic events

IOC likely to announce new policy early in new year after findings of a scientific review about the permanent physical advantages of being born male

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/olympics/article/olympic-ioc-transgender-athlete-ban-womens-sports-zhlpfll3b

OP posts:
Thread gallery
21
Fiftyandme · 10/11/2025 14:41

Good

RoamingToaster · 10/11/2025 14:49

The previous studies used to justify males competing in the female category were so ridiculously poor. One was of fewer than 10 men who had “transitioned” and it included the researcher. One person was excluded as they didn’t fit the pattern and had better times after transition. They didn’t account for age so were comparing the self reported times someone got in their 20s versus their 40/50s. It’d be hard to invent such a bad study.

So many people were taken with this craze that their brains stopped working.

The next time you hear about something mad happening in history and think how crazy they were to believe such nonsense you just have to think of this and what people will think in the future.

OnlyOnAFriday · 10/11/2025 14:49

Good, hopefully any records and medals are also removed retrospectively.

mamagogo1 · 10/11/2025 14:50

The bbc are reporting the Times story but when the bbc approached the IOC they were told they were still working on it. The bbc are reporting that is likely there will be change.

Yes we need to ensure only natal women compete in women’s elite sports but it needs to be done in a legal way which states clearly why, the IOC is obviously being very careful to ensure nobody can fight it

EmeraldShamrock000 · 10/11/2025 14:51

Excellent result. Ridiculous that the problem ever existed.

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 10/11/2025 14:54

BendoftheBeginning · 10/11/2025 14:22

One bloody step at a time, we’re getting there! Or as we’ve been saying on here for years now - “Puuullllllll!”

No, Heave - push them back over the line so we can drop and score a try.

ErrolTheDragon · 10/11/2025 15:10

logiccalls · 10/11/2025 14:36

Wrong thread title. Mumsnet must lead ahead in NOT using Stonewall Cult invented language: Biology, and Supreme Court, say a man can NOT become a woman: Therefore, there is no such thing as 'trans'. There are sex fetishists including autogynophiles, getting kicks from pretending to be women. When they do it at home, with or without consenting adults, it is their own concern. But when they force unwilling members of the public to be dragged into seeing them, it is a form of exhibitionism. They are dangerous men: Exhibitionism is now correctly recognised as a red flag for pre-rape.

The OP is quoting the headline on the Times article.
It’s the mainstream media which primarily needs to stop using these misleading terms. The very first thing the IPSO editors code of practice says is
i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text.

https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/

The Editors' Code of Practice - IPSO

The Editors' Code of Practice is the framework IPSO uses to promote the highest professional standards and hold publishers to account.

https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/

PropertyD · 10/11/2025 15:21

About time! Who on earth thinks having men compete against women is a good idea. Woke rubbish!

RoyalCorgi · 10/11/2025 15:23

This is such good news, but does anyone else feel really angry that it's taken so long, and that we've had to work so bloody hard for something which is just basic common sense?

SidewaysOtter · 10/11/2025 15:24

Good. It's about bloody time, but far too late for all the female athletes who've been pushed out of medals and places by men.

ChateauMargaux · 10/11/2025 15:39

I have not read all of the replies - but this reporting is terrible - it is not about banning transgender women - it is about defining the female category by sex and enforcing that rule. - and yes - I know you all know!

GRRRRR

EstherGreenwood63 · 10/11/2025 15:41

Thank fuck for that.

Helleofabore · 10/11/2025 15:42

Just a reminder of the Olympic journey :

1992 - Dr. Arne Ljungqvist becomes a member of the IOC and continue5 to date an educational program to inform the IOC about scientific and
ethical issues related to laboratory-based gender verification.

1996 - Most major professional medical societies have passed resolutions against chromosome-based gender screening in sports.

1996-1997 - IOC World Congress on Woman and Sport passes a resolution to abandon gender verification at the Olympics. Women's Sports Foundation
publishes a policy statement against blanket chromosome screening in support of IAAF model. The Norwegian parliament outlaws gender verification in sport. The IOC Medical Commission is unconvinced and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games is contractually committed to on-site, laboratory-based, gender veritication of all female althletes competing in women's events.

1997-1998 - Arguments for and against change are presented to the IOC Athlete Commission by Professor A. Liungqvist and Dr. B. Dingeon, respectively. Prince de Merode and Dr. Hay argue for their original policy of blanket gender verification at IOC-sponsored sporting events. Athletes Commission nonetheless calls for the discontinuation of the present system and rccommenda replacing it with a "reserve clause" system based on IOC Medical Commission intervention on an individualized basis, following scientific and ethical guidelines.

1999 - IOC Executive Board accepts unanimous recommendations of its Athletes Commission. Blanket gender verification screening of all female
athletes will not be conducted at the 2000 Millennia1 Games in Sydney, on a conditional basis for later review.

Importantly, for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics they surveyed the female athletes and found:

"At the time of testing, all female athletes at the Atlanta Games were offered a questionnaire written in both English and French asking whether in their view testing of females should be continued in future Olympics and whether or not
they were made anxious by the testing procedure. Of the 928 athletes who responded, 82% felt that testing should be continued and 94% indicated that they were not made anxious by the procedure. Forty-six athletes were made "anxious" by the testing requirements that preceded their competitive events.

No males were found to masquerade as females, and all females who were found to be SRY positive competed."

"Of the 928 athletes who responded, 82% felt that testing should be continued"

www.nature.com/articles/gim2000258.pdf?origin=ppub&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100045542&CJEVENT=f4d4c8630a0411ed831b01a80a1c0e11

2003 - Stockholm Consensus proposal

"In 2003, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission, claiming guidance from “the best information available at the time,” decided to allow male transsexuals to compete in the women’s category. This decision was contingent upon several conditions to ensure fairness: a) the removal of their testes at least two years prior to competition; b) legal recognition as “female”; and c) hormone profiles aligned with those of natal females."

archive.today/F5HFc

2004 - May 2004 they announce that they will allowed male people who surgically removed their testes to compete in female competition. Because once you allow one group of male people in, you must equally allow the other in or you are discriminating against transgender people.

https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-approves-consensus-with-regard-to-athletes-who-have-changed-sex-1

2015 -Then in 2015, a campaign group including Harper, using Harper’s flawed study (see nequals8.com web site) convinces the IOC that it is unfair discrimination to exclude any male with a transgender identity describing themselves as a woman. The IOC changes the policy to allow them.

https://nequals8.com

^https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/race-times-for-transgender-athletes^

https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Medical_commission/2015-11_ioc_consensus_meeting_on_sex_reassignment_and_hyperandrogenism-en.pdf

2016 -Then came the Rio trio in the female 800m and we start to see the testosterone suppression of the male people with DSDs come in. Semenya takes this to court in 2019. Appealed 2020. The evidence presented confirmed 5ARD and testosterone of 21 nmol/L.

2021 - 2020 Tokyo games held in 2021 was the testosterone suppressed games. Hubbard, a late 40 something male in female event where next youngest was probably a decade and a half younger, shines light on the issue.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/29/ioc-praises-weightlifter-laurel-hubbard-ahead-of-transgender-athletes-olympic-debut

The IOC reacts by announcing a review.

The new guidelines released Nov 2021 devolve responsibility for policy to each discipline’s international federation. ie. They force the sporting federations to make the hard decisions that the IOC refuse to make.

https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Beyond-the-Games/Human-Rights/IOC-Framework-Fairness-Inclusion-Non-discrimination-2021.pdf#_ga=2.219716894.621299853.1686571450-594927581.1678187184

They also reaffirm that 'inclusivity' is their over all priority. They say that safety is as well, but this is clearly contradictory when you consider boxing as an example.

The IOC is clear that they RECOGNISE that the inclusion of male athletes will be UNFAIR but their priority is inclusion. Richard Budgett said this.
The federations then develop their own policies. that have done this are : FINA, WA, UCI, IBA and WR. FIFA for instance announced a review years ago and done nothing. IBA announced their new policy in 22/23.

The WA have even stated that their new guidelines for the Olympics immediately excluded 13 males with DSDs with testosterone advantage from the competitions until those 13 male athletes chose to reduce their testosterone to 2.5 nmol/L for 2 years. 13 just in athletics competitions alone! (By the way, this reduction has already been shown to not eliminate unfair male advantage, but this is where we are at the moment.)

By the IOC removing the IBA from organising the boxing, the IOC left boxing only with the IOC inclusive guidelines.

So, we know from the announcement by Budgett from IOC in November 2021 that fairness was a lower priority to inclusion. It was along the lines of ‘we know it is unfair to include male people with pubertal advantage, but inclusion is our aim.’

And the IOC and other organisations still claim that Semenya is a 'female with naturally high testosterone' to this day. Despite the world being easily able to find the evidence presented to the CAS that Semenya is MALE with 5-ARD and had tested with a testosterone level of 21nmol/L. NO female has that level and is healthy. They are likely to be gravely ill.

And now we have some sunlight and we await official confirmation.

https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Medical_commission/2015-11_ioc_consensus_meeting_on_sex_reassignment_and_hyperandrogenism-en.pdf

Northquit · 10/11/2025 15:42

Someone's handing the naked emperor a towel.

WallaceinAnderland · 10/11/2025 15:43

Even if no medals are won by TIM, they still shouldn't be in the female category because they are male.

It's so easy, there was no need for any scientific investigations or reports. Are you female? Yes - compete in the female category. No - compete in the male category.

Happyjoe · 10/11/2025 15:47

Let's hope it soon applies to all sporting bodies.

SidewaysOtter · 10/11/2025 15:51

WallaceinAnderland · 10/11/2025 15:43

Even if no medals are won by TIM, they still shouldn't be in the female category because they are male.

It's so easy, there was no need for any scientific investigations or reports. Are you female? Yes - compete in the female category. No - compete in the male category.

And they don't even need to be trans-identified. IIRC Imane Khelif did not and does not identify as trans, he just says he is a woman with a DSD.

He won gold at the last Olympics, having punched women (at least one of whom withdrew for her own safety) in order to do it.

UtopiaPlanitia · 10/11/2025 15:51

Beowulfa · 10/11/2025 12:05

Ridiculous that it had to go to "scientific review", but useful to have the evidence there in black and white for the women should just train harder types.

Yes, exactly!

There was no inclination to have a scientific review when they wanted to allow males to compete against females but there does apparently definitely have to be one to stop males competing against females 🙄😡

RoamingToaster · 10/11/2025 15:54

WallaceinAnderland · 10/11/2025 15:43

Even if no medals are won by TIM, they still shouldn't be in the female category because they are male.

It's so easy, there was no need for any scientific investigations or reports. Are you female? Yes - compete in the female category. No - compete in the male category.

This! I think from most people outside the world of sports we just focus on those winning medals but people have different goals. Competing in the Olympics is an achievement for some women even though they know they’re unlikely to win a medal. Depriving them is so unfair.

JamieCannister · 10/11/2025 15:59

lifeturnsonadime · 10/11/2025 12:08

This is good news.

The fact that men were ever able to compete in the female category is beyond me.

Hopefully people like AOC will now be forced to apologise to Riley Gaines for suggesting that women just need to work harder.

Misogyny, stupidity, idiocy, and stupid misogynistic brainwashed cult thinking would be the top 4 possible reasons, IMHO

PinkPonyClubDancer · 10/11/2025 16:04

great news!

ParmaVioletTea · 10/11/2025 16:05

About bloody time.

Of course, they need to hook men and boys out of women & girls' sports from the lowest of the recreational ranks to the heights ofCounty & National competitions. How can girls become Olympians if they allow boys in girls' competitions early on?

Jollyhockeystickss · 10/11/2025 16:06

Sharon Davies has worked bloody hard for this about bloody time,

miniaturepixieonacid · 10/11/2025 16:06

mackerella · 10/11/2025 13:02

Aargh, I wish they wouldn't use headlines like this! It's not "trans athletes" who are being barred from women's events, but specifically transwomen (as the Times article reported correctly). Presumably trans men are still theoretically able to compete in women's events (although whether they would want to is another matter).

I don't think they would - or not all of them anyway? If they're on testosterone then wouldn't they also have too much added advantage to take part? Drug tests are very strict.

Nonbinary female athletes could and probably would compete in women's events. But I don't think a lot of transmen could so 'trans athletes' seems fair enough for a headline descriptor to me. Going into detail can be done in the body of an article.

Good news, anyway.

Isayitasitis · 10/11/2025 16:07

I'm not anti trans but I am against males in women's sports. Due to scientific reasons, it would always be unfair so I welcome this decision.

Swipe left for the next trending thread