Olympics

Explained: Why did the IOC ban transgender athletes in women's sports?

IOC will determine eligibility for the women's category primarily through SRY gene screening, a scientific test used to identify the presence or absence of the SRY gene

IOC's new policy bars transgender athletes from women's Olympics events

Transgender women athletes are now excluded from women's events at the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy on Thursday which aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. "Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females," the International Olympic Committee said, to be determined by a mandatory gene test once in an athlete's career. It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level. No woman who transitioned from being born male competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, though weightlifter Laurel Hubbard did at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 without winning a medal. The eligibility policy that will apply from the LA Olympics in July 2028 "protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category," the IOC said. "It is not retroactive and does not apply to a

Infantino under Olympic review after involvement in Trump peace board

After FIFA leader Gianni Infantino took part in U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace launch, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the Olympic body will "look into" his conduct. Infantino and Coventry are among the current 107 International Olympic Committee members who are bound by an oath "to always act independently of ... political interests." Trump hosted the peace board event Thursday in Washington, D.C., where Infantino signed a partnership on behalf of the the international soccer governing body, which could see $75 million of soccer funds invested in Gaza. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Infantino has aligned FIFA closely with the United States government including attending Trump's inauguration last year and making a series of visits to the White House and Mar-a-Lago. The U.S. will cohost the 104-game tournament with Canada and Mexico starting June 11. "The Olympic Charter is very clear on what it expects of its members and we will go and research into the alleged signi

Olympic politics and marketing history explored in new IOC insider book

Political pressure on Olympic officials, like in the case of the Ukraine skeleton racer's memorial helmet at the Milan Cortina Games, is nothing new, according to a long-time IOC insider. Cold War tensions. Keeping North Korea engaged with South Korea's hosting plans. Making sure the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games opened months after the 9/11 attacks. And more recently the Olympic fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than four decades of Olympic intrigue and financial vision are recounted in "Fast Tracks and Dark Deals" by Michael Payne, the International Olympic Committee's former marketing director. "There has always been political clouds and issues impacting the Olympic Games," Payne told The Associated Press, saying it offers "political oxygen" unique in global sports. "I started my career where you were caught as a pawn in the superpower game," said the former British freestyle skier, who moved to Switzerland to work on Olympic marketing in 1983. That was between

As climate changes, what does future hold for Winter Olympics, Paralympics

Except the snowy cold winter that comes to mind when you picture the Olympic Games may not be tenable for much longer

Olympic chief declines to pressure LA Games chair over Epstein files link

The IOC showed no interest Wednesday in putting pressure on 2028 Los Angeles Olympics chair Casey Wasserman over personal emails released in the latest Jeffrey Epstein files. Wasserman has faced calls from lawmakers and those in political circles in L.A. to step down as chair of the city's Olympic project he has led since it was first a hosting candidate 11 years ago. International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry was asked Wednesday if Wasserman was still the right person to oversee the next Summer Games in light of flirtatious emails in 2003 exchanged with Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. "From the IOC point of view, the (organizing committee) and how they are structured is not something we are going to get involved into," Coventry said. The IOC leader spoke at a news conference one day after she shared a stage with Wasserman when the L.A. organizing team updated Olympic officials on their hosting plans. "He has put out a statement and there is really ..

Outcry in Italy as US says ICE agents will join Olympics delegation

The Italian government said it had requested clarification from American diplomats after DHS said that ICE agents would help secure the US Olympic delegation next week in northern Italy

Samsung unveils Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition: What's new, availability

Samsung said it will provide Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition to athletes competing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The special edition will not be available for sale to general audience

Sports infra may see major Budget push as India eyes hosting Olympics

The government may announce a long-term sports infrastructure plan in Budget 2026-27 as India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and plans a bid for the 2036 Olympics

India's Olympics-sized ambitions need governance, institutional reforms

Hosting mega sporting events can boost infrastructure and the public interest, but without adequate institutional preparedness, the benefits are neither efficient nor enduring

Are we ready to host 2036 Olympics? Sports secretary cracks whip on NSFs

Cracking the whip on federations, he cautioned officials against treating international competitions as family outings and stressed that administrators must be available for athletes at all times.

Vinesh Phogat comes out of retirement, eyes 2028 Los Angeles Olympics medal

Star Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Friday announced that she would be coming out of retirement to take another shot at an elusive Olympic medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games as the "the fire never left" her and was merely buried under "exhaustion and noise". The 31-year-old had walked away from the sport after the heartbreak of the Paris Games last year, where she was dramatically disqualified for being 100 grams over the permissible weight limit ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout. She had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a joint silver medal, but the verdict remained unchanged, leading her to announce her retirement and join politics to be elected as an MLA from Haryana's Julana constituency. "People kept asking if Paris was the end. For a long time, I didn't have the answer. I needed to step away from the mat, from the pressure, from the expectations, even from my own ambitions. For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe," Vine

Russian athletes should return with flag, anthem, IOC recommends globally

The IOC took a big step toward reintegrating Russia and Belarus into world sports Thursday by advising governing bodies to let the countries' youth teams and athletes compete with their full identity of national flag and anthem. Athletes have a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organizations, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. That message in support of athletes will be welcomed in Russia and Israel, whose athletes have faced recent discrimination, and comes less than three years out from the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games that risks facing political crosswinds in the United States. The updated strategy on Russia was set at a so-called Olympic Summit a meeting chaired by IOC president Kirsty Coventry that invites key stakeholders from the Olympic family. It was recognized that implementation by the stakeholders will take time, the IOC said in a statement, adding tha

CAS overturns FIS ban, Opening Olympic path for Russian, Belarusian skiers

Russia's sports minister, Mikhail Degtyaryov, announced the outcome on social media, describing it as a significant legal victory.

IOC eyes ban on transgender women athletes in female Olympic competitions

IOC President Kirsty Coventry has emphasized the need for a unified approach across all Olympic sports.

Olympics 2028: Will Mirabai shift to 53-kg category in Los Angeles?

The IWF's decision means Mirabai, who has been competing in lower weight categories for most of her career, will need to adapt if she wants to continue her Olympic journey.

Hockey player Manuel Frederick, Kerala's 1st Olympic medallist, dies at 78

Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died in a Bengaluru hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, on Friday morning, family sources said. He was 78. Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district of Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland in the 1972 Munich Olympics. He played for the Indian team for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports. He also has the distinction of being the goalkeeper who helped his team win 16 national championships in tiebreakers. Frederick started as a striker in football and a goalkeeper in hockey. He became active in hockey through the St. Michael's School team in Kannur. Born on October 20, 1947, Frederick played in the Bombay Gold Cup at the age of 17 and played his first international match for India in 1971. He is survived by his two daughters.

Aman Sehrawat handed one-year suspension by WFI over weight issue

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Tuesday suspended Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat from all wrestling-related activities for one year after he failed to make weight at the Senior World Championships. The 22-year-old Aman, one of India's top medal hopes in the men's freestyle 57kg category, was disqualified from the Worlds for exceeding the weight limit by 1.7kg on the day of competition. "...you are hereby suspended from all wrestling-related activities, both at the national and international level, for a period of one (1) year, effective from the date of the show-cause notice," the WFI said in its letter. "This decision is final and binding. During the period of suspension, you are barred from participating in or associating with any activities organized or sanctioned by WFI at both national and international levels." In a letter dated September 23, 2025, the WFI had issued a show-cause notice to Aman seeking an explanation for the lapse. The federation sa

Arjun-Elavenil pair clinch Gold medal in 10m Air Rifle Mixed team event

India's Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan bagged the gold medal in 10m air rifle mixed team event of 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan here on Saturday. The Indian pair outclassed China's Dingke Lu and Xinlu Peng 17-11 to finish on top of the podium. The Chinese pair was leading in the initial round but the Indians, who faltered early with shots of 9.5 and 10.1, made a stirring comeback in the later rounds to claim the gold. It was the second gold medal for Elavenil in the event after finishing on top the table in the 10m air rifle women's competition. Earlier, the Indian trio of Babuta, Rudrankksh Patil, and Kiran Jadhav had clinched the team gold in men's 10m Air Rifle event.

Vishal targets podium at 2026 CWG and Asian Games after record feat

After breaking the national record, quartermiler Vishal TK now hopes to secure a podium finish in next year's Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. Vishal shattered the national record in the men's 400m event at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2025 in Chennai on Thursday en route to a gold. "I tested myself, I did hard work and if you do hard work it will come through," Vishal told PTI in an interaction. The 21-year-old athlete won the gold medal with a time of 45.12 seconds, eclipsing the previous national mark of 45.21s, set by Muhammed Anas Yahiya at the 2019 Czech Athletics Championships. "Next year, I have Commonwealth Games and Asian Games and we have to work for it. I am still learning. I will end this season after this competition and the coach is already planning for the next season. My goal is to get medals in individual and relays in CWG and Asian Games," he added. Vishal's previous best was 45.57s while finishing fourth at the 2025 Asian Champions