Trending Now - Transgender Athlete Critiques Ioc's Women's Sports Policy

WHO:

ESPN - Caster Semenya stated, "For me, personally, for her being a woman coming from Africa, knowing how African women or women in the global South are affected by that, of course, it causes harm."

ESPN - Caster Semenya expressed disappointment in IOC President Kirsty Coventry, stating, "For me personally, I’ll say the voice is not heard because you taking it as a tick box, you ticking a box so you can go clarify or say yes we’ve consulted."

ESPN - Caster Semenya stated, "For me personally, I’ll say the voice is not heard because you taking it as a tick box, you ticking a box so you can go clarify or say yes we’ve consulted."

ESPN - Semenya has been banned from running in her favorite race at major international meets since 2019 because she refused to follow the rules and take medication to artificially reduce her hormone levels.

ESPN - Caster Semenya expressed her disappointment with Kirsty Coventry, stating, "For me personally, for her being a woman coming from Africa, knowing how African women or women in the global South are affected by that, of course, it causes harm."

ESPN - Caster Semenya expressed disappointment with IOC president Kirsty Coventry, stating, "For me personally, for her as a leader, she's an African, I'm sure she understands how, you know, we as Africans, we are coming from, as a global South, you know, you cannot control genetics."

Fox News - Nikki Hiltz, American Olympic distance runner, identifies as transgender non-binary.

ESPN - Caster Semenya, two-time Olympic champion runner from South Africa.

ESPN - Kirsty Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), from Zimbabwe.

WHAT:

ESPN - The IOC's new policy will limit eligibility for female category events to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample.

The Guardian - The IOC reinstated genetic testing to determine female sex for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, effectively banning transgender athletes and many intersex athletes from women's sports.

ESPN - The IOC's new eligibility policy will apply from the Los Angeles Olympics in July 2028, which "protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category."

The Guardian - The IOC's new policy will also cover athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), the rare condition in which a person’s hormones, genes, and reproductive organs may have a combination of male and female characteristics.

ESPN - Semenya stated, "Obviously if you say the science, because we talk about science here, if the science is clear, show us who decided and don't dress that as a lie because it's a lie and we know because we've seen it so if we were to answer or confront Kirsty that's how we going to respond and we'll respond strong as we are because it affects women."

The Guardian - Semenya criticized the IOC's reinstatement of sex verification tests, saying, "For you as a woman, why will you be tested to prove that you fit? You know, it’s like now we need to prove that we are worthy as women to take part in sports. That’s a disrespect for women."

The Guardian - Caster Semenya labeled the reinstatement of sex verification tests as “a disrespect for women,” emphasizing that it forces women to prove their worthiness to participate in sports.

The Guardian - The IOC's new policy will limit eligibility for female category events to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample.

The Guardian - The IOC reinstated genetic testing to determine female sex for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, effectively banning transgender athletes and many intersex athletes from women's sports.

The Guardian - The IOC's new policy states that eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games is now limited to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample.

Fox News - Nikki Hiltz criticized the IOC's new policy on women's competitions.

ESPN - The IOC excluded transgender women athletes from competing in women's events at the Olympics or any IOC event.

ESPN - The IOC's decision was published in a 10-page policy document on March 26th, 2026.

ESPN - The new eligibility policy will apply from the Los Angeles Olympics in July 2028.

ESPN - The IOC's decision restricts female athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), including Semenya.

WHERE:

ESPN - The announcement was made during a news conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

WHEN:

ESPN - Caster Semenya made her comments on March 29th, 2026, during a press conference after a women's race in Cape Town.

ESPN - Semenya made her comments on March 29th, 2026, during a press conference after a women's race in Cape Town.

ESPN - Caster Semenya made her comments on March 28th, 2026, three days after the IOC's decision was published.

ESPN - The IOC's decision was published on March 26th, 2026.

ESPN - Semenya expressed her disappointment on March 28th, 2026.

ESPN - Semenya has been banned from running in her favorite race since 2019.

WHY:

The Guardian - Caster Semenya criticized the reinstatement of sex verification tests as "a disrespect for women," emphasizing that it forces women to prove their worthiness to participate in sports.

The Guardian - Semenya criticized the IOC's decision, stating, "It came as a failure. And that’s why it was dropped," referring to the previous use of chromosomal sex testing.

The Guardian - Semenya criticized the IOC's decision, stating, "For you as a woman, why will you be tested to prove that you fit? You know, it’s like now we need to prove that we are worthy as women to take part in sports."

The Guardian - Caster Semenya criticized the reinstatement of sex verification tests as "a disrespect for women," emphasizing that it forces women to prove their worthiness to participate in sports.

ESPN - Semenya criticized the IOC's decision, stating it affects women and questioned the scientific basis of the policy.

ESPN - Semenya expressed disappointment in Coventry as a leader, emphasizing the impact on women from the global South.

HOW:

The Guardian - The IOC's new policy states that eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one-time SRY gene screening, which will be carried out through a saliva sample, cheek swab, or blood sample.

The Guardian - The IOC previously used chromosomal sex testing between 1968 and 1996 before abandoning it in 1999 due to pressure from the scientific community and athletes’ commission.

The Guardian - The IOC's new policy was announced following controversies in women's boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where two athletes were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after failing eligibility tests.

ESPN - Semenya has previously challenged eligibility rules in court, including a European Court of Human Rights judgment that did not overturn the rules.

ESPN - The IOC stated that the decision was not retroactive and does not apply to grassroots or recreational sports programs.

(UPDATED March 30, 2026 13:19 UTC)

Caster Semenya expressed her disappointment with IOC President Kirsty Coventry during a press conference on Sunday, where she criticized the reinstatement of genetic testing for female athletes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The new policy will limit eligibility for female events to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening, effectively banning many transgender and intersex athletes from competing. Semenya stated that this approach is "a disrespect for women," highlighting the harm it causes to women, particularly those from Africa and the global South, who are forced to prove their worthiness to participate in sports.

(UPDATED March 30, 2026 11:17 UTC)

Caster Semenya spoke out on Sunday, criticizing the International Olympic Committee's new eligibility policy for female athletes, which she believes fails to truly consult affected voices. Since 2019, Semenya has been barred from competing in her favorite races at major international meets due to her refusal to take medication aimed at lowering her hormone levels. The new IOC policy, set to take effect at the Los Angeles Olympics in July 20th28, restricts eligibility for female events to biological females based on a one-time SRY gene screening.

(UPDATED March 30, 2026 05:39 UTC)

Caster Semenya expressed her disappointment with Kirsty Coventry during a press conference on Sunday, following a women's race in Cape Town, highlighting the harm caused to women from the global South by recent policies. Semenya criticized the IOC's reinstatement of sex verification tests, questioning why women need to prove their worthiness to compete in sports, which she called a disrespect to women. The IOC's new policy now restricts eligibility for female events at the Olympic Games to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening using a saliva sample, cheek swab, or blood sample.

(UPDATED March 30, 2026 01:18 UTC)

Caster Semenya expressed her disappointment with IOC president Kirsty Coventry on Saturday, stating that the reinstatement of sex verification tests is “a disrespect for women” and emphasizes that women must prove their worthiness to participate in sports. The IOC's new policy will limit eligibility for female category events to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample. Semenya criticized this decision, questioning why women need to be tested to prove they fit, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by female athletes.

(UPDATED March 29, 2026 21:03 UTC)

The International Olympic Committee has reinstated genetic testing to determine female sex for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, effectively banning transgender and many intersex athletes from women's sports. Under the new policy, eligibility for any female category event will now be limited to biological females, determined through a one-time SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample. Caster Semenya has criticized this decision as "a disrespect for women," highlighting that it forces women to prove their worthiness to participate in sports.

(UPDATED March 29, 2026 17:06 UTC)

In a significant development, the International Olympic Committee announced a new policy on Thursday that excludes transgender women athletes from competing in women's events, a decision that has drawn criticism from Nikki Hiltz, an American Olympic distance runner who identifies as transgender non-binary. The policy, which will take effect at the Los Angeles Olympics in July 20th28, also restricts female athletes with differences in sex development, including two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya, who expressed her disappointment with the decision and its implications for women from the global South. During a news conference in Cape Town, Semenya questioned the scientific basis of the policy and highlighted the ongoing challenges she has faced, having been banned from her favorite race since 2019.