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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says that no final decision has been taken on banning transgender women from all female Olympic events as its working group continues discussions. Earlier, reports claimed that the IOC is set to announce a ban early next year on athletes born male following a scientific review. As per the review, male advantages persist despite athletes taking steps to reduce testosterone levels. “An update was given by the IOC’s Director of Health, Medicine and Science to the IOC members last week during the IOC commission meetings,” an IOC spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters on Monday. “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet. Further information will be provided in due course.” The working group, which aims to protect the female category, was established by the current IOC president Kirsty Coventry after she succeeded Thomas Bach in the role earlier this year in June. The committee’s medical and scientific director, Dr Jane Thornton, made a presentation on its initial findings to the IOC during a meeting in Lausanne last week. “It was a very scientific, factual and unemotional presentation which quite clearly laid out the evidence,” The Times quoted a source as saying. Till now, the IOC has allowed transgender women to compete provided they reduce testosterone levels while leaving the final call with individual sports. Coventry had emphasised “protection of the female category” earlier this year. “We understand there will be differences depending on the sports. We should make the effort to place emphasis on the protection of the female category and we should ensure that this is done in consensus with all the stakeholders. But we need to do that with a scientific approach and the inclusion of the international federations who have already done a lot of work in this area,” Coventry had said.
