Are there any policies against transgender athletes from participating at Paris Olympics 2024? Everything you need to know

At the upcoming Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has allowed each individual sport to decide their policies for transgender participation. Prior to this, the IOC allowed trans women to compete in the categories corresponding with their gender as long as they met certain criteria.

The IOC first allowed trans athletes to participate in the Games starting in 2004, with a strict set of guidelines. These guidelines required athletes to have undergone sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. Additionally, athletes were also required to show legal recognition of their gender.

However, in 2016, the committee revisited this criteria, with the updated set of guidelines requiring only that trans women declare their gender and not change that assertion for four years, and have a testosterone level of less than 10 nanomoles per liter for at least one year prior to participation.

Trans men were allowed to compete in the category aligning with their gender identity without any such requirements.

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the IOC has once again revised their policies for transgender athletes in sports.

In November 2021, the committee released the ‘Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations’ report, which leaves the decision of transgender participation upto the International Federations of each sport.

Detailing the non-binding Framework, the IOC stated:

“The Framework constitutes the IOC’s guidance on this topic to sports bodies. It aims to support them to provide pathways to inclusion in elite sport for all athletes, without discriminating on the basis of gender identity or sex variations, while defining disproportionate advantage in ways that preserve meaningful and fair competition. This approach aligns with the IOC’s commitment to human rights as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020+5.”

As IOC has allowed individual sports to make their own decisions regarding trans women participating in women's sport.

The World Boxing Council came up with the decision to create a separate category for trans athletes, a category which will not be present at the Games.

World Rowing chose to put a blanket ban on trans women competing in women's sports, writing:

“A rower who was identified as and assigned woman and/or female at the time of the rower’s birth and did not transition to any other gender than woman by the time that the rower reached puberty shall, unless the Executive Committee determines otherwise, be eligible to compete as a woman. All other rowers can row in the men’s events.”

Several other organizations, including World Athletics, World Aquatics, World Rugby, and the International Cycling Union, have banned trans women who went through male puberty from competing in the category corresponding with their gender, stating that they would have a disproportionate advantage.

On the other hand, federations for sports like tennis, archery, and triathlon will allow trans women to compete in women's sports at the Paris Olympics as long as their testosterone levels are suppressed within a set limit.

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Is any trans athlete competing at the Paris Olympics?

In 2020, weightlifter Lauren Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympic Games. She placed last in her group after three failed snatch lifts.

At the Paris Olympics, Nikki Hiltz will be one of, if not the only, transgender non-binary athlete. Hiltz came out as transgender and nonbinary on International Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, 2021.

However, given that they are not undergoing hormone therapy, they will not be subject to World Athletics' restrictions on trans athletes.

Hiltz qualified for the Paris Olympics after storming to a gold and the U.S Olympic Trials record in the 1,500m. Running at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregan, the sprinter clocked a 3:55.33.for the win.