IOC Announces New Framework For Determining Eligibility For Transgender Athletes

The International Olympic Committee made a momentous announcement on Tuesday, saying that they are moving away from their testosterone testing approach, and allowing each sports governing body “to determine how an athlete may be at a disproportionate advantage against their peers, taking into consideration the nature of each sport.”

“We have not found the solution to this big question which is out there,” IOC spokesman Christian Klaue said. “But what we have tried to do is outline a process which helps international federations to set eligibility criteria and to find solutions. And we will continue helping them doing that work. But clearly, this is a topic that will be with us for a long time. … It’s a long-term project.”

The previous ruling  — which has been in place since 2015 — required transgender women to meet a testosterone level below 10 nmoI/L for at least 12 months prior to competition in order to participate. Now, the IOC has laid out a 10-part framework for each individual sport to adhere to when determining the eligibility of an athlete. 

“Athletes should never be pressured by an International Federation, sports organization, or any other party (either by way of the eligibility criteria or otherwise) to undergo medically unnecessary procedures or treatment to meet eligibility criteria,” the committee said.

“Provided they meet eligibility criteria that are consistent with principle 4, athletes should be allowed to compete in the category that best aligns with their self-determined gender identity,” the committee continued. “Criteria to determine disproportionate competitive advantage may, at times, require testing of an athlete’s performance and physical capacity. However, no athlete should be subject to targeted testing because of, or aimed at determining, their sex, gender identity and/or sex variations.” 

The IOC also stated that there should be “no presumption of advantage” when evaluating whether a trangender woman can compete. 

“No athlete should be precluded from competing or excluded from competition on the exclusive ground of an unverified, alleged or perceived unfair competitive advantage due to their sex variations, physical appearance and/or trangender status,” the committee said.  

“Until evidence (per principle 6) determines otherwise, athletes should not be deemed to have an unfair or disproportionate competitive advantage due to their sex variations, physical appearance and/or transgender status,” the IOC added.

While the IOC is going away from their previous methods, they do appear to allow for the testing of testosterone levels by individual governing bodies. 

“Medical information about an athlete, including testosterone