Press: media@interactadvocates.org

March 26, 2026 – Today’s newly released policy by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) discriminates against transgender and intersex women with Olympic dreams through mandated sex testing that invades the privacy and dignity of all women athletes. This policy change comes under pressure from the Trump Administration in advance of the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 

New policies discriminate against intersex athletes:

  • While the new IOC policies are blatant attacks on transgender women, they also clearly target intersex athletes, especially women. 
  • Intersex people, also known as those with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) or with variations in sex traits, make up an estimated 1.7% of the population. 
  • Intersex people are born with variations in physical traits such as chromosomes, hormone function, and/or reproductive biology. Doctors and scientists agree that biological sex characteristics exist on a spectrum.
  • Some intersex women are born with XY chromosomes, or other chromosomes that are not XX. Some intersex women produce higher-than-typical levels of testosterone, or have genetic variations that change how their bodies process and respond to hormones.
  • The policy makes a few rare exceptions for some intersex athletes with specific variations (using the stigmatizing term “DSD”), but restricts many more intersex athletes from competition.
  • The new eligibility restrictions will discriminatorily deny many intersex women access to women’s sports.

The IOC policy depends on widespread sex testing:

  • No single physical characteristic can determine a person’s sex. Experts have spoken out about how “sex testing” is unscientific, whether based on traits like chromosomes, hormones, or the SRY gene. Hormones such as testosterone vary widely among individual women, by ethnic group, and due to factors like PCOS.
  • Exclusionary policies based on sex testing encourage discrimination against all women athletes, opening their bodies up to improper scrutiny. Only women, not men, are subjected to these additional hurdles to compete. 
  • Intersex women and those with variations in their sex traits suffer under sex testing policies. Athletes may not even be aware of their own intersex variation until forcibly outed by sex testing. Many women have endured invasive physical exams and even been forced to alter their bodies to be allowed to play under similar policies. Caster Semenya publicly “went through hell” as her health declined when she was forced to alter her body’s hormones.
  • Under mandated sex testing, many intersex women (as well as transgender women) may lose their right to compete altogether.

interACT’s Executive Director Erika Lorshbough issued the following statement:

This is a devastating day for women athletes, who deserve to play the sport they love free from invasive sex testing, discrimination, and public scrutiny. Sex testing invades all women’s privacy, forcing them to give up their personal medical and genetic information for the IOC to determine if they are “woman enough” to compete. Any policy that intends to discriminate against transgender athletes also harms intersex women, especially those with chromosomal and hormonal variations. All women deserve the chance to pursue their Olympic dreams.

About interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth: 

interACT works to empower intersex youth and advance the rights of all people with innate variations in their physical sex characteristics through advocacy, public engagement and community connection.