Trans athlete complains about being excluded from women’s Olympic competition, feels marginalized.

Transgender Sprinter Barred from Women’s Competition in Paris Olympics

Halba Diouf, a transgender-identifying sprinter from France, is speaking out against World Athletics’ decision to ban biological males from competing against women in the Summer 2024 Paris Olympics.

Diouf, who began transgender procedures in 2021, had planned on competing in the women’s 200-meter race but is now barred from the competition. In an interview, Diouf expressed frustration with the decision, stating, “I cannot understand this decision as transgender women have always been allowed to compete if their testosterone levels were below a certain threshold. The only safeguard transgender women have is their right to live as they wish, and we are being refused that, we are being hounded … I feel marginalized because they are excluding me from competitions.”

World Athletics’ decision, which went into effect in April, banned “male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty” from competing in female World Rankings competitions. The organization consulted with Member Federations, the Global Athletics Coaches Academy and Athletes’ Commission, and the IOC when making its decision.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stated, “Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations. We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.”

To prioritize fairness and the integrity of female competition, the Council decided to ban transgender athletes from competing against women. World Athletics is the international governing body for sprints, middle/long, hurdles, road running, jumps, throws, combined events, race walks, relays, cross country, mountain running, ultra running, and trail running.

Takeaway: While the decision to ban transgender athletes from competing against women is controversial, World Athletics prioritized fairness and the integrity of female competition. As more evidence becomes available, the organization will review its position.