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American Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as non-binary transgender, reacted on Friday to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) policy of banning men from participating in women’s competitions.
The IOC announced its new policy on Thursday. The organization said it will use genetic testing to verify the biological sex of competitors in women’s events.
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Nikki Hiltz (USA) after the women’s 1,500 meters final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on September 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
“All Olympic athletes competing in women’s sports are now required to undergo genetic sex testing,” Hiltz wrote in a post on Instagram Stories. “Trans attacks have consistently led to increased surveillance and regulation of ALL women’s bodies. Transphobia harms everyone.
“You all already know where I stand on this, but this policy is fucking stupid and doesn’t solve a problem that exists. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but ZERO trans women competed in the Paris Olympics. Only ONE trans woman weightlifter competed in Tokyo 2021 and she didn’t win a medal. Can we please stop obsessing about trans people? And I don’t know, maybe focus our time, energy and resources on the real problems facing women’s sports?”
Hiltz, who won a silver medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships and a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The IOC said eligibility for events in the women’s category “is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a single SRY gene test.”
“The evidence-based and expert-informed policy, applicable from the LA28 Olympic Games onwards, protects fairness, safety and integrity in the women’s category.”
Nikki Hiltz, of the American celebrants who won the women’s Wanamaker Mile, Sunday, February 1, 2026, during the Millrose Games, in New York City. Hiltz won with a time of 4:19.64. (Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The test can be performed using saliva, cheek swab or blood sample.
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The IOC said it made the decision to implement the policy after consulting with a panel of experts, with the aim of providing equal opportunities to women in sport.
“The policy was developed on the basis that it is universally accepted that it is necessary to establish a women’s category to allow men and women equal access to elite sport,” the IOC said in an announcement.
“It was guided by the IOC’s modern goals related to equality (equal opportunities for female athletes in finals, podiums and championships); enhancing Olympic value (with both women’s and men’s finals in all sports); and visibility and inspiration (celebrating female athletes on the Olympic podium to inspire and represent women and girls around the world).”
IOC president Kirsty Coventry suggested in the announcement that continuing to enable men in women’s sports is “not safe.”
“As a former athlete, I believe passionately in the rights of all Olympic athletes to participate in fair competition. The policy we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can make the difference between victory and defeat,” Coventry said.
Klaudia Kazimierska (POL) and Nikki Hiltz (USA) after the women’s 1,500 meters final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on September 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
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“Therefore, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the women’s category. Furthermore, in some sports it simply would not be safe.”
