In a recent episode of her podcast A Touch More with partner Sue Bird, former U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe strongly condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to protect the female category in Olympic sports by barring biological males from competing in women’s events starting with the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
The IOC’s updated policy requires mandatory SRY gene testing for athletes in women’s categories to verify biological sex, effectively excluding transgender women (biological males) and certain intersex athletes from female competition. Rapinoe described the move as a “really horrible rule” that “has nothing to do with protecting women.” She argued that she and Bird, both Olympic gold medalists who competed at the highest levels, “don’t agree with this and never felt like this was an issue at all.”
Rapinoe further claimed the policy is not rooted in science and instead subjects all women athletes to “really invasive testing.” “We already know that biology, as much as we want it to be just nice and clean and tight and perfectly in one category and another, it’s not,” she said. “So now what we’re doing is subjecting everybody, all women and all people who are identifying as women, to this really invasive testing that only to me just says like, ‘Oh, so we’re just trying to whittle it down to a certain type of woman.’ Is that what we’re doing? That’s really the whole game here.”
She framed the IOC’s decision as a political concession, reportedly calling it a “total acquiescence” to external pressures (including those associated with the Trump administration) rather than a genuine effort to ensure fairness or safety in women’s sports. The comments were made on an episode recorded around Trans Day of Visibility, during which Rapinoe also praised the transgender community.
Rapinoe’s remarks have drawn significant backlash online, with critics accusing her of prioritizing ideology over biological reality and fairness for female athletes. The IOC policy itself reflects growing international consensus on sex-based categories in elite sports following years of debate over male advantage in women’s competitions.
SOURCES:
Megan Rapinoe rips IOC’s new biological female eligibility policy | Fox News
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird Slam Olympic Committee’s “Hateful” Ban on Trans Women | Them
Megan Rapinoe Sparks Backlash With Latest Comments on Trans Athletes, Biology | OutKick
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird Slam Olympic Committee’s “Hateful” Ban on Trans Women – Yahoo Sports
Megan Rapinoe Is Facing Backlash For Her Summer Olympics Criticism – The Spun
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