Female category

The UN Special Rapporteur: The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem welcomed the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) policy on the 'Protection of the Female Category in Olympic Sport'.

Last month, the IOC announced a new policy on the protection of the female (women's) category in Olympic sport, which explains that, for all disciplines on the sports programme of an IOC event, including the Olympic Games and for both individual and team sports, eligibility for any female category is limited to biological females.

The policy, approved by the IOC Executive Board, will take effect from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games onwards and is not retroactive. It applies to all female category events, including both individual and team sports. The IOC also encouraged International Federations (IFs) and other sports governing bodies to adopt the policy when implementing eligibility rules for IOC events.