Women Speak Tasmania has welcomed the International Olympic Committee’s new policy protecting the female category in elite sport and is calling on Tasmanian Sport Minister Nick Duigan to adopt similar science-based rules for community and grassroots sport in Tasmania.
On 26 March 2026, the IOC announced that eligibility for the female category at Olympic Games and IOC events will be limited to biological females only. IOC President Kirsty Coventry stated:
“Male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power or endurance… it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
The policy includes a simple, one-time SRY gene test with counselling and medical support.
Although the IOC ruling applies to elite competition, Tasmanian women and girls are already being affected at the community level. In sports such as soccer, netball, cycling, ten-pin bowling and lawn bowls, female athletes report feeling uncomfortable, sidelined or demotivated when biological males compete in women’s divisions. Many are quietly walking away from sport.
This self-exclusion threatens participation rates and the future talent pipeline — directly undermining the Tasmanian Government’s Women and Girls in Sport Strategy.
Women Speak Tasmania urges Minister Duigan to lead by example and implement a clear biology-based policy for all state-funded sports:
- Retain female categories based on biological sex, not gender identity
- Introduce simple, one-time sex screening where needed
- Ensure all funded clubs and organisations comply
“Women’s sport in Tasmania is at a crossroads. The IOC has followed the science. Tasmania must now do the same to protect fairness, safety, and the right of girls and women to participate without disadvantage,” said Dr Elizabeth Caballero, spokesperson for Women Speak Tasmania.
Media Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Caballero
Email: [email protected]
Website: womenspeaktas.au
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