Statement: IOC considering universal genetic sex testing

17th March 2026

International orgs respond

LEAP Sports have signed a statement with the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA), ILGA World, Humans of Sport and over 80 other allied organisations following reports that the IOC have been recommended they implement universal genetic sex testing of all women and girl athletes.

The full statement is available here and a video from SRA is available on social media here.

Sex testing harms all women and girls, and a reintroduction of mandatory sex testing would set women’s sport back 30 years.

Should this new policy be adopted, it would represent a total reversal of the IOC’s own 2021 Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination – a widely-respected document informed by extensive research and engagement with over 250 athletes and experts, which recognized the need for evidence-based, sport-specific, and rights-respecting eligibility rules.

LEAP Sports is deeply concerned that this change risks further marginalising transgender and intersex people, who already face significant barriers to participation, including stigma, harassment and exclusion. Critically, decisions made at elite level do not exist in isolation. They set a tone that filters down into grassroots and recreational sport, shaping who feels welcome to take part in physical activity in their own communities. Introducing invasive or exclusionary policies risks normalising the policing of bodies far beyond elite competition, creating additional barriers to entry and reinforcing a culture of suspicion and exclusion at every level of sport.

Sport should be a place of belonging for everyone. We urge decision-makers to prioritise safety, dignity and inclusion, and to ensure that policies do not undermine access to sport and physical activity for those who already face the greatest challenges in participating.