The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has updated its 2003 policy on transgender athletes seeking to compete in the Olympics. Now, female-to-male athletes will be permitted to compete against male athletes without any sort of surgery or hormones, whereas male-to-female athletes will have to show a reduced testosterone level for at least one year before competing against females. Previously, transgender athletes would have to undergo reassignment surgery prior to competition.
Under the previous IOC guidelines, approved in 2003, athletes who transitioned from male to female or vice versa were required to have reassignment surgery followed by at least two years of hormone therapy in order to be eligible to compete.
Now, surgery will no longer be required, with female-to-male transgender athletes eligible to take part in men’s competitions “without restriction”.
Meanwhile, male-to-female transgender athletes will need to demonstrate that their testosterone level has been below a certain cutoff point for at least one year before their first competition.
What do you think? Do you think this is a fair policy?
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