The discussion over who can compete in the women’s category has once again taken center stage within the Olympic Movement. This time, not because of a public decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but due to a letter sent by the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA), a global coalition of civil society organizations, formally requesting clarification on the functioning and scope of the IOC Working Group on the “protection of the women’s category.”
The letter, addressed to the head of the organization ahead of the IOC Executive Board meeting to be held in Milan between January 31 and February 2, 2026, expresses concern over reports suggesting that this group may be considering mandatory sex testing and a general ban on transgender and intersex athletes in the women’s category, without any public information so far regarding its composition, working process, or criteria for analysis.
Transparency, science, and rights at the center of the debate
In its letter, the SRA recalls that as early as September 2025 it had warned about the risks of establishing a working group without disclosing its membership or methodology, noting that decisions of this nature can directly affect the rights of women and girls in all their diversity. For the alliance, the lack of transparency and consultation opens the door to practices historically questioned for their impact on privacy, dignity, and bodily integrity of athletes.
The document also emphasizes that any decision on eligibility must consider scientific studies from diverse perspectives, including one funded by the IOC itself which concluded that transgender athletes face certain competitive disadvantages. This is accompanied by warnings from experts at the United Nations regarding the human rights risks posed by intrusive practices such as sex testing, even in its genetic form, whose scientific, ethical, and operational justification has been widely debated.
The 2021 Framework and the unanswered questions
The SRA argues that the IOC already has a relevant instrument in place: the Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations, adopted in 2021 after a two-year process involving more than 250 athletes and stakeholders. In the alliance’s view, this framework provides a pathway to balance fair competition with inclusion, avoiding approaches that could lead to discrimination.
In this context, the letter raises a series of direct questions: how the legitimacy and diversity of the working group are ensured, how potential conflicts of interest are managed if federations with restrictive policies are involved, which scientific studies were considered, how the 2021 Framework is being used in deliberations, and what the decision-making and public communication process will be. It also seeks to understand what measures are being taken to protect the rights, well-being, and bodily autonomy of all women and girls, including transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex athletes.
