International Organisations

International Olympic Committee (IOC), opens in a new tab is the leader of the Olympic Movement and the guardian of the Olympic Games. Founded in 1894, the IOC leads the collaboration of Olympic stakeholders, including the athletes, the National Olympic Committees, the International Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, the Worldwide Olympic Partners and Media Rights-Holders. It also collaborates with public and private authorities including the United Nations and other international organisations. The vision of the IOC is to 'Build a Better World through Sport'.

Policies and Guidelines

• Olympic Charter, opens in a new tab, (effective 30 January 2025). The Olympic Charter codifies the fundamental principles of Olympism, and the rules and bye-laws adopted by the IOC. It governs the organisation, actions and functioning of the Olympic Movement and establishes the conditions for the celebration of the Olympic Games.
  • Fundamental Principle 4: The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have access to the practice of sport, without discrimination of any kind in respect of internationally recognised human rights within the remit of the Olympic Movement. The Olympic spirit requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
  • Fundamental Principle 6: The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
• Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport and Guiding Considerations for International Federations and Sports Governing Bodies, opens in a new tab, (2026). The policy explains that, for all disciplines on the sports programme of an IOC event, including the Olympic Games and for both individual and team sports, eligibility for any female category is limited to biological females.
  • Eligibility for the female category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY gene. With the rare exception of athletes with a diagnosis of Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) or other rare differences/disorders in sex development (DSDs) who do not benefit from the anabolic and/or performance-enhancing effects of testosterone, no athlete with an SRY-positive screen is eligible for competition in the female category at an IOC event.
  • Athletes with an SRY-positive screen, including XY transgender and androgen-sensitive XY-DSD athletes, continue to be included in all other classifications for which they qualify. For example, they are eligible for any male category, including in a designated male slot within any mixed category, and any open category, or in sports and events that do not classify athletes by sex.
  • Applicable for the LA28 Olympic Games onwards; it is not retroactive and does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programmes.

Research

• Position statement: IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations, opens in a new tab, Martowicz M, Budgett R, Pape M, et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 57(1), pp.26-32, (2023).

The International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), opens in a new tab aims to promote the study and development of sports medicine throughout the world, to protect the physical and mental health and ensure the wellbeing of all who are engaged in sports and exercise and to assist athletes in achieving optimal performance by maximizing their genetic potential, health, nutrition and (access to) high-quality care and training.

Position Statements

• Joint position statement of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) and European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA) on the IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination based on gender identity and sex variations, opens in a new tab, Pigozzi F, Bigard X, Steinacker J on behalf of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) and the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA), et al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Volume 8(1), (2022).
• Integrating Transwomen and Female Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD) into Elite Competition: The FIMS 2021 Consensus Statement, opens in a new tab, Blair R. Hamilton, Giscard Lima, James Barrett, et al., Sports Medicine, Volume 51, pp.1401-1415, (2021).