Debate Over Biological Sex in Sports: GOP’s Appeal to the IOC

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Republican lawmakers have issued a direct challenge to the International Olympic Committee, demanding they align with Trump’s executive order barring biological males from competing in women’s sports before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Quick Takes

A coalition of 26 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the IOC urging them to maintain biological sex classifications in women’s Olympic events.
The letter references President Trump’s February 5 executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”.
The lawmakers argue that eligibility for women’s competitions should be based solely on biological sex to ensure fairness.
The push comes ahead of the IOC’s March 17 meeting and preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Current IOC policy allows transgender athletes to compete based on various criteria including testosterone levels.

GOP Coalition Takes Stand for Female Athletes

In a bold challenge to Olympic policy, 26 Republican lawmakers from both chambers of Congress have formally demanded that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) establish rules requiring women’s sports competitions to be limited to biological females only. The coalition, led by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), sent a detailed letter to IOC President Thomas Bach ahead of the committee’s March 17 meeting. The timing is strategic, as the meeting includes not only the election of a new president but also critical planning for the 2028 Summer Olympics scheduled to take place in Los Angeles.

THANK YOU: "The Olympic Games should be a model for integrity in sports, and the next IOC president must firmly defend the rights of dedicated female athletes."

U.S. Legislators sent a letter to IOC President Bach urging the Olympics Committee to protect women's sports. Read… pic.twitter.com/c3hFTDIgxy

— Independent Women's Voice (@IWV) March 12, 2025

The Republican lawmakers specifically referenced President Donald Trump’s executive order from February 5, which prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports. This executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” directs Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to enforce these restrictions for the 2028 Olympics, including preventing athletes “attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes.” Trump has made it clear that his administration will take a firm stance on this issue during the Los Angeles games.

Preserving Fair Competition

At the heart of the Republican lawmakers’ argument is the preservation of competitive fairness for female athletes. The Olympics have allowed transgender athletes to compete since 2004, with the first openly transgender athlete participating in 2021. The current IOC framework, established in 2021, replaced a 2015 policy regarding gender identity and testosterone levels for athletes transitioning from male to female. This newer framework emphasizes gender equality and inclusion but has drawn criticism for potentially compromising fair competition.

The controversy gained international attention during the 2024 Paris Olympics regarding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who was disqualified from a championship due to having XY chromosomes but was still allowed to compete under IOC guidelines based on testosterone levels. This incident has fueled the debate over the adequacy of current standards and whether they sufficiently protect competitive balance in women’s sports. The Republican coalition points to such cases as evidence that biological sex, not gender identity or hormone levels, should be the determining factor for eligibility.

Broader Policy Push

This effort represents part of a larger Republican initiative to influence policy on transgender participation in sports at all levels. The House recently passed a Republican bill to ban transgender girls from girls’ sports teams in K-12 schools, demonstrating the party’s commitment to addressing this issue comprehensively. The letter sent to the IOC emphasizes that the United States values its female athletes and seeks to protect their opportunities on the world stage, especially as the country prepares to host the Olympics.

The letter was signed by several prominent GOP senators and representatives, including Mike Crapo, Jim Banks, Marsha Blackburn, and others. Currently, the IOC allows global federations to set their own eligibility rules for transgender athletes, resulting in inconsistent policies across different Olympic sports. The Republican lawmakers are pushing for standardization based on biological sex as the definitive criterion, which would align Olympic policy with the Trump administration’s approach to protecting women’s sports.