BERLIN : Each sport must set its own rules on the participation of transgender athletes instead of one global rule and it must be based on scientific data, International Paralympics Committee President Andrew Parsons said on Thursday.
Speaking on one year ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, Parsons, who is also an International Olympic Committee member, said any decision should have an inclusive approach.
The Olympic Games and Paralympics currently allow transgender athletes to compete.
Italy's Valentina Petrillo became the first openly transgender athlete to participate in the Paralympics after the visually impaired sprinter competed in Paris last year.
"Protecting the female participation is a must but we also have to address the fact that there are more transgender individuals who want to practice high-level sport," Parsons told Reuters in an interview.
"We must have an inclusive approach. It should be guided by science. I think science is what can give us answers in every sport about participation of transgender athletes.
"I believe that every sport has to find its own way. When it comes to transgender ... science is the guiding principle."
The IOC has refused to apply any universal rule. Instead, in 2021, it instructed international federations to each come up with their own rules for their sport.
Some sports, including athletics, swimming and rugby, have done so, but many have yet to finalise a policy on the issue.
TRUMP BAN
However, United States President Donald Trump, whose country will host the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, has issued an order to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports.
Trump said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete at the LA28 Games
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