- Reem Alsalem describes as “necessary and legitimate” the exclusion of trans athletes and DSD of the women’s events from 2028.
- The expert goes further and proposes to the Olympic Committee the granting of parallel medals retroactively for the injured athletes.
- The support of the United Nations comes after the controversial decision of the IOC to apply tests for the SRY gene in Los Angeles.
After the news earthquake caused by the announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about the new eligibility rules for Los Angeles 2028, comes the institutional support. The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has made public her congratulations to the sports organization, ensuring that the measure is based on “common sense, facts and science”.
An endorsement based on the “material reality of sex”
For Alsalem, the decision that only biological women — verified by the absence of the SRY gene — compete in the women’s category is a victory for equity. According to the rapporteur, this change “restore dignity and security” of female athletes, ending a system that, in her opinion, forced women to compete at a disadvantage compared to male biological realities.
The United Nations expert has been forceful in stating that the recognition of the material reality of sex must guide sports policies at all levels. With this support, the UN aligns itself with the athletics, swimming and cycling federations that had already begun to apply similar restrictions independently.
Proposal for historical repairs
The most striking thing about Alsalem’s intervention has not only been the “yes” to the IOC, but also his request for retroactive justice. The rapporteur has urged the Executive Committee to consider reparations for the athletes who competed under the previous testosterone framework and who, in her view, “they were denied fair competition”. Proposed measures include a public apology and the creation of parallel medals to recognize the damage suffered by those who lost podiums to trans or DSD athletes.
Despite criticism from activist sectors and the French Government, who call the measure discriminatory, The rapporteur insists that no one is being expelled from professional sports, but rather guaranteeing that each athlete competes in the category that corresponds to them due to biology. With this support from the UN, the path to Los Angeles 2028 is protected under a criterion that prioritizes sports equity over gender identity.
