Are Transgenders Not Allowed To Compete In 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics? Details Revealed!
The 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is fast approaching. But are the transgender athletes allowed to compete for this prestigious worldwide sporting event which only happens every four years?
The answer is yes! According to The Advocate, there is no need for transgenders to undergo-confirmation surgery in order to join in their chosen sports according with their identity. This is acceptable due to the new guidelines which are expected to be applied by the International Olympic Committee.
The said guidelines, obtained by Outsports from "a trusted source," are not yet available to the public by the IOC. The guidelines was received out of a Consensus Meeting on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism. It was convened in a discreet manner by the OIC last November and the committee also stated that the set of rules will be applied before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
"To require surgical anatomical changes as a pre-condition to participation is not necessary to preserve fair competition and may be inconsistent with developing legislation and notions of human rights," according to the guidelines
There is a waiting period, however, for transgender women to take into considerations. Not only the guideline has surgery as a requirement but it also needs two years of hormone therapy.
"[The period] goes from two years after surgery [currently] to one year after the start of [hormone therapy]," Joanna Harper - a trans athlete and medical physicist who was also present during the meeting - told Outsports via email. "This matches up with the NCAA rules and is as good as anything. The waiting period was perhaps the most contentious item among our group and one year is a reasonable compromise."
"These guidelines are a living document and will be subject to review in light of any scientific or medical developments," the guideline also states. As of late, no openly trans athlete has ever competed in the Olympics but there may be for this coming meet in Rio de Janeiro.
