Overview
- Coventry said the IOC expects a clear decision in the first quarter of 2026, with confirmation possible at the meeting before the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
- After taking office, Coventry shifted the IOC from sport-by-sport guidance to an Olympic-wide policy and created the Protection of the Female Category working group in September.
- The policy is expected to address transgender athletes and athletes with differences of sexual development and could result in exclusions from female events.
- Coventry emphasized the Olympic Charter’s view that access to sport is a human right, underscoring broad participation at grassroots levels even as elite eligibility is reviewed.
- Context includes federation bans on athletes who went through male puberty, the rollout of SRY gene testing in sports such as boxing, and U.S. actions including a federal order and a USOPC compliance directive.