The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken steps to update their position concerning transgender athletes and their eligibility to compete in the Olympic Games.
Transgender individuals have been allowed to compete in the Olympic Games since 2004, but stipulations were enforced which included the requirement for transgender athletes to undergo sex reassignment surgery, years of hormone therapy, and being legally recognized as the gender to which they transitioned. On Sunday, January 24th, the International Olympic Committee announced a change to their guidelines regarding transgender athletes. The most noticeable regulation change is that transgender athletes are no longer required to have sex reassignment surgery, an important change considering not all transgender individuals wish to endure surgery to change their biological sex organs.
The statement by the IOC made it clear that these changes were not rules, but instead they are meant as suggestions which serve to open up opportunities for transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics. IOC Medical Director Dr. Richard Budgett stated, “I don’t think many federations have rules on defining eligibility of transgender individuals. This should give them the confidence and stimulus to put these rules in place.”
Transgender athletes may encounter many issues within their profession, a fact that came to light after Caitlyn Jenner announced she was transitioning to a woman in an interview with Diane Sawyer this past April. Caitlyn is a well-known Olympic athlete who won the decathlon in the 1976 Olympics, and in doing so, set a world record. She won the gold medal and also set the world record under a different name - Bruce Jenner. After her announcement and subsequent transition, she faced backlash which included petitions to strip her of her Olympic medal.
As petitions gained momentum to strip Jenner of her gold medal, the IOC Communication Director Mark Adams made a statement. “...Jenner won his [sic] gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Games and there is no issue for the IOC.” Making it clear that the IOC had no intention of stripping Caitlyn of her gold medal.
Although sex reassignment surgery is no longer required for transgender athletes, there are still restrictions in place for athletes who have transitioned from male to female. Their testosterone level needs to remain below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least one year prior to competing. Female to male athletes can now compete without restrictions, nevertheless transgender male athletes still need to prove their testosterone levels are not too far above the typical male.
The updates to the IOC guidelines pave the way for transgender athletes like Chris Mosier, a triathlete, transadvocate and the founder of transathlete.com, to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Mosier qualified for the World Championships which are taking place this June, but he had been unsure if he would be eligible to compete since he has not had sex reassignment surgery. The recently announced changes to the IOC guidelines guarantee he will be on the starting line with his fellow teammates from Team USA.
The IOC has posted a pdf of their new guidelines on their website. The document reads, “It is necessary to ensure insofar as possible that trans athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competition.” It goes on to state that requiring surgical anatomical changes of transgender individuals in order to allow them to take part in the Olympic games is not necessary to protect fair competition, and it may be inconsistent with human rights.
This change comes two years after the IOC received global backlash for holding the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, where the strict anti-lgbt laws caused many LGBT athletes and fans to feel unsure about their safety while residing in the host city. A petition was started by the group Equality for All and supported by American actor George Takei, which asked the IOC to move the games from Russia to Canada, but the IOC did not change the location. They did, however, add a “non-discrimination” clause to their contracts with host cities which will take effect for the 2022 Winter Games.
The athletic world remains an uncertain place for sexual minorities, however these updated guidelines are a step toward a more inclusive sporting environment for transgender athletes within the Olympics.