IOC Chief Says It Will Lead Gender Criteria Talks

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will spearhead discussions on gender eligibility criteria in sport, its new president Kirsty Coventry said on June 26, four years after the ruling body had urged federations to handle the issue independently.

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Coventry, who officially took over the presidency from Thomas Bach this week following the June 23 ceremony in Lausanne as the first woman and first African to hold the position, said she now wanted the IOC to "protect the female category".

She announced the formation of a working group to lead these discussions and another to review the election process for future Olympic host cities.

The IOC has long refused to apply any universal rule on transgender participation for the Games, instructing international federations in 2021 to come up with their own guidelines.

"We're going to actually set up a working group made up of experts and international federations," Coventry told a press conference following the first executive board meeting of her presidency.