IOC sets up working group ‘to protect women’s sport’

The International Olympic Committee has set up four working groups, including one for the protection of women’s sport, in its bid to reshape the Olympic Games under new president Kirsty Coventry.

Working groups to review the Olympic programme, the Youth Olympic Games and commercial partnerships and marketing have also been established.

Coventry, who became the first female IOC president in March, had promised to create a working group for women’s sports, saying the organisation must “play a leading role” in discussions on gender eligibility.

The IOC said the working group will “look at how we can best protect the female category”.

However, while naming the members of the other three groups, it declined to say who would be on the Protection of the Female Category Working Group.

“The names of the members of the working group will remain confidential for now to protect the integrity of the group and its work”.

The IOC has previously left gender regulations to the governing bodies of individual sports rather than applying a universal approach.

A growing number of sports federations have barred athletes who have undergone male puberty from competing in elite female competition.

In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that prevents transgender women from competing in female categories.

He specified the order would include the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, adding he will deny visas for transgender athletes trying to visit America to compete at the LA Games.

Coventry said the groups “will allow us to meet deadlines, and bring important technical expertise to these complex and important discussions, while realigning where we feel that it is necessary to strengthen our movement”.

The Zimbabwean added: “These groups will receive constant feedback to make sure that everybody is fully aligned and that all recommendations are fully integrated”.

The IOC said the Olympic programme working group will explore the relevance of the disciplines at the Games as well as the scope of integrating new sports into it.

“It will also consider the suggestion that traditional summer or winter sports could cross over, the timing of the Games, and the sports calendar”, it said.