International Olympic Committee transgender guidance criticised by medical experts

New International Olympic Committee guidance on transgender inclusion could undermine integrity in sport, say a group of medical experts.

The IOC says it should not be assumed a transgender athlete automatically has an unfair advantage in female events.

Its new framework also changes the policy on requiring transgender women to suppress testosterone levels in order to compete in those events.

A statement questioning the move has been signed by 38 medical experts.

They are linked to the International Federation of Sports Medicine and European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations.

Authors of the statement — published in the British Medical Journal Open Sport and Exercise Medicineexternal-link — include the head of World Athletics' medical department, the medical director of cycling's ruling body the UCI and the chair of World Rowing's medicine commission.

They say the guidance has been drafted mainly from a human rights perspective with little consideration of medical and scientific issues.

The statement calls on the IOC to set formal standards, based on competitive fairness and the best available science, for sports to follow.

«The authors would like to see further discussion and consultation with all stakeholders,» it reads.

The IOC's framework on transgender inclusion, which replaces guidelines issued in 2015, places responsibility on individual federations to determine eligibility criteria in their sport.

In their statement, the medical experts say most federations will not have the capacity to implement the new guidance.

The 10-point IOC document is «not legally binding» and not every sport is expected to find a solution before the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The old policy said transgender athletes would be allowed to compete