Sebastian Coe, a former Olympic gold medalist and the current head of World Athletics, is running for president of the International Olympic Committee and has some strong opinions about a hot topic: the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s events.
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According to reports, he doesn't agree with current IOC President Thomas Bach’s support for trans athletes competing in the women’s category.
In a recent chat with Sky News, Coe shared his plan to push for a policy similar to what World Athletics has done, which involves stricter rules on trans athletes.
Under Coe's leadership, they’ve banned transgender women who went through male puberty from competing in women’s events and tightened restrictions on testosterone levels for female athletes.
Coe is all about making sure the Olympics has a clear stance on this issue. He said “There will be no ambiguity,” noting that World Athletics won’t allow transgender athletes in elite female categories.
While he didn’t call for mandatory sex-eligibility testing, Coe criticized the IOC’s current handling of the situation, especially after the mixed results at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, where two athletes were allowed to compete despite past disqualifications for failing gender-eligibility tests. Coe pointed out that without clear policies, things can get messy, like what we saw in Paris.
His views fit into a bigger conversation about how to include trans athletes in women’s sports.
A recent UN study reported that over 890 biological female athletes have lost opportunities or medals to transgender athletes, sparking debates about whether we should keep separate female categories in athletics.
In the U.S., this topic has sparked intense discussions, with many people across the political spectrum pushing back against allowing trans athletes in women’s sports. Polls show a significant number of Americans believe biological men shouldn’t compete in women’s events.