Chapter 8 - IOC transgender athlete policies and history

Abstract

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been at the forefront of the debate over the inclusion of transgender athletes since it first allowed trans athletes to compete in the Olympic Games in 2004. The original Olympic transgender policy, known as the Stockholm consensus, allowed transgender women to compete in the female category provided they had completed genital surgery, 2years of postsurgical hormone therapy, and had legally changed gender. The organization has twice released updated transgender documents. The 2016 IOC transgender guidelines suggested that transgender women should be allowed into the female category after reducing testosterone below 10nmol/L for 12 months. The 2021 IOC transgender framework suggested that no restrictions should be placed on transgender athletes without robust, sport-specific, peer-reviewed research; however, the IOC placed the final authority for decisions on transgender athletes with the international and national sport-governing bodies. Transgender athletes have been attempting to qualify for the Olympic Games since 2004; however, it was not until 2021 that any openly transgender athletes competed in the Games. Nonbinary footballer Quinn won a gold medal as part of the Canadian Women's soccer team in Tokyo. Trans woman Laurel Hubbard placed 14th and last in the super heavyweight category of women's weightlifting, while the nonbinary Alana Smith placed 20th and last in the women's street skateboard event in the Tokyo games.