Klaus Solko, co-executive editor

The Olympic Agenda 2020+5 is “a new strategic roadmap” proposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board. The purpose of said agenda “will determine the direction of the IOC and the Olympic Movement until 2025,” according to Olympics.com. So why am I mentioning it? Well, there are some key points in it that I find interesting; some of the missions and recommendations stated are as follows:

“The need for greater solidarity within and among societies. Strengthen the uniqueness and the universality of the Olympic Games. Reinforce athletes’ rights and responsibilities.”

I call out these missions, as I think they closely relate to reports of the Olympics getting closer to a ban on trans women competing. According to The Guardian, the ban is expected to come to fruition in the next six to 12 months. The new IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, has been very clear in her stance that she is committed to protecting the female category. 

It is impossible to ignore the connection between this policy going forward and the next Olympic Summer Games happening in LA in 2028. Even The Guardian calls out how this new policy would avoid conflict with President Trump, as he signed an executive order in February to ban transgender women from competing in female sports. 

Now going back to those missions that were stated for the Olympics from 2020 to 2025. I see them taking a sharp left turn away from those listed missions. “Greater solidarity within societies?” Yes, I’m sure that separating out people who are a part of society from the rest will really encourage unity. It feels so glaringly obvious how banning a group of people is the exact opposite of promoting uniqueness and universality. Furthermore, “[reinforcing] athletes’ rights and responsibilities?” What a joke. If the Olympics wants to support athletes’ rights, then maybe they should think about an athlete’s right to autonomy and privacy. 

The same discussion is brought up every time transgender women in sports come up. How is this going to be enforced? It can’t be based on testosterone levels, as that would affect cisgender women too. Already cisgender women are affected by these policies, like Imane Khelif ,who had thousands of people going after her after the Paris Olympics 2024. 

Just to further emphasize how small-scale this problem is, less than .002% of US college athletes identify as transgender. And that is college athletics, which is a far cry from the Olympic level. But this policy that the Olympics is pushing forward does affect more than just Olympic athletics. For many athletes, especially young athletes, the Olympics is something to strive for. It also in many ways shows where sports are politically and can set a standard for countries, including the U.S.  

I worry about what this policy could mean for athletes as a whole, but I especially worry for transgender athletes who are already having a hard enough time. I know the types of sacrifice some of them already make, like not starting hormones so that they can keep competing without policies like this affecting them. However, that choice comes at a price to mental health and social life. It is a sacrifice and a hard decision, a decision the Olympic Committee is not doing anything to make easier.