IOC demands genetic testing to protect women’s sport
The International Olympic Committee announces a new policy for women’s sports, requiring genetic testing to ensure only biological women compete, citing fairness and safety. Former Olympian Kirsty Coventry and others are advocating for the policy, with Caitlyn Jenner pointing to a “ripple effect” across other sporting organisations. The move comes as gasoline prices in the United States rise, affecting Americans’ personal financial situation; a Pak Gazette poll shows 46% are falling behind financially.
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Former American women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for implementing a new policy to ensure fairness in women’s competitions.
The IOC said that “eligibility for any women’s category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a single SRY gene test.”
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Groups of protesters stand outside the United States Supreme Court as justices hear the landmark case to decide whether transgender girls should be allowed to participate in girls’ and women’s sports on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Credit: Andrew Thomas/CNP (Andrew Thomas/CNP for Pak Gazette Digital)
The organization added that the policy was “evidence-based” and “expert-informed.” The test can be performed using saliva, cheek swab or blood sample.
A presentation at a World Athletics panel in Tokyo in September revealed that between 50 and 60 athletes with male biological advantages have been finalists in the women’s category at world and continental championships since 2000.
The panel was led by World Athletics Department of Health and Science head Dr. Stéphane Bermon, who said sex testing was necessary due to an “overrepresentation” of athletes with DSD (differences in sexual development) among the finalists, according to multiple reports.
However, Rapinoe rejected politics in the latest issue of her podcast “A Touch More.”
“Unfortunately, we have to say that all at the same time a really horrible rule came out of the International Olympic Committee,” Rapinoe said while praising the transgender community. “They announced a new policy they are calling for, I can’t even believe they call it that because it has nothing to do with protecting women. I feel like two people, who played at the highest level in every competition possible, don’t agree with this and never felt this was an issue at all, ‘Protecting Women.’ [Women’s] Category.'”
Rapinoe dismissed the idea that the policy was rooted in science, saying the IOC was subjecting women to “invasive tests.”
A protester to protect women’s sports gathers outside the Supreme Court on January 13, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Groups from both sides of the debate gathered Tuesday morning to protest as two cases barring transgender girls from joining girls’ and women’s sports teams are heard inside the Supreme Court. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
OLYMPIANS REACT TO IOC POLICY CHANGE TO PROTECT WOMEN’S SPORTS
“We already know that biology, as much as we want it to be nice and clean and tight and perfect in one category and another, it’s not,” Rapinoe said. “We know that. So now what we’re doing is subjecting everyone, all women and all people who identify as women to these really invasive tests that only to me say, ‘Oh, we’re just trying to narrow it down to a certain type of woman. Is that what we’re doing? That’s really the whole game here.’
“They kind of lost the battle over gay marriage and they lost the battle over all these things, so it’s like, ‘We’re going to have this whole campaign for all these years to hate trans people,’ which is such a small percentage of the population. It’s really on one hand when we’re talking about sports. And it’s like threading the tightest needle thread you can.”
Rapinoe added that the IOC only implemented the rule to appease President Donald Trump’s administration.
“This committee considers it based on science, which it is not,” he said. “Ultimately, this will just prevent people from competing within the women’s category and feeling like they have an unfair advantage. It’s really hateful. There have been very few athletes who are trans or compete as trans and it’s so blatant on its face. It’s complete acquiescence to the Trump administration and right-wing conservative politics that is really whipping up so much hate against such a small percentage of people who are just trying to live their lives. It’s just horrible and I’m just really sickened by it.”
File: Megan Rapinoe #15 of Team USA lines up before the Women’s Soccer Group G match between the United States and Australia during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kashima Stadium on July 27, 2021 in Kashima, Japan. (Héctor Vivas/FIFA)
On the contrary, several Olympic athletes supported the IOC’s decision.
Kaillie Humphries, a three-time Olympic gold medalist for the United States and Canada, was among them.
“Today is a great day for women’s sports and a great victory in the Olympic world,” she told Pak Gazette Digital last month. “By implementing sex testing, it will allow for fair competition. It used to happen years ago, and reinstating it will protect the women’s category. I think it is very appropriate that LA28 is the games to protect women’s sports, as it is something our president has advocated for.”
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