- South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya has strongly condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to reinstate gender verification tests for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
- Semenya described the move as a ‘disrespect for women.’
- The new policy effectively bans transgender athletes and a significant number of intersex athletes from women’s sports.
- Zimbabwean IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s leadership during this decision drew particular disappointment from Semenya.
Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic 800-meter champion, voiced her profound disappointment with the IOC’s latest policy, particularly noting the involvement of Kirsty Coventry, an African woman. Semenya highlighted the potential harm this policy could inflict upon African women and women from the Global South. The IOC had previously abandoned chromosomal sex testing in 1999 due to scientific and athletic community pressure, after it was deemed a ‘failure.’
The new eligibility criteria limit participation in female category events to ‘biological females,’ determined by a one-time SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab, or blood sample. This policy shift follows controversies in the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s boxing, which saw Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting excluded from previous championships but allowed to compete by the IOC, only to win gold medals.
Timeline
- March 30, 2026: Caster Semenya publicly criticizes the IOC’s reinstatement of gender verification tests.
- March 27, 2026: IOC announces reinstatement of genetic testing for 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Key Players
- Caster Semenya: South African Olympic 800-meter champion.
- International Olympic Committee (IOC): Body reinstating gender verification tests.
- Kirsty Coventry: Zimbabwean IOC president, criticized by Semenya.
