Measure reintroduces genetic testing for female eligibility starting in Los Angeles 2028; player classifies it as “setback”
The tip of Osasco São Cristóvão Saúde,criticized, this Friday (27.mar.2026) the new policy of (International Olympic Committee). The standard published on Thursday (26.mar.2026) to determine the eligibility of athletes in women’s competitions.
The measure prevents the participation of transgender women and athletes with DDS (differences in sexual development) in female categories from the age of . The first transgender woman in Brazilian volleyball classified the decision as “a big setback” for sport.
The IOC has established that eligibility in the female category will be defined by genetic screening to identify the SRY gene, linked to the Y chromosome. The test can be done through saliva collection, a cheek swab or a blood sample. The procedure is carried out once in the athlete’s life, and the negative result is valid permanently.
In a note published on her official Instagram profile, Tifanny argued that the measure represents a dismantling of social achievements. “Rights cannot go backwards. The world cannot go backwards. Either we take a stand now, or we accept seeing achievements being dismantled little by little by an extreme right that insists on excluding, dividing, destroying”he declared.
The leader questioned the speech used to justify the policy, which according to her would be to “protect women’s sport”but in practice it would be the opposite. “When the subject involves trans people, there is always an attempt to remove, exclude, question their presence, regardless of the context”he stated.
Tifanny highlighted that the discussion is not just restricted to trans people. “Many people try to reduce this debate to an exclusive attack on trans people, but it’s not just about that. It’s about women. About all women. With these new rules, many athletes could be harmed, including cis women, by increasingly questionable criteria. And this needs to be discussed with responsibility, not with exclusion”he declared.
The player cited the case of the federal deputy (Psol-SP), who had his identity questioned by opposition deputies in the Chamber to his appointment as president of the . Tifanny questioned what the argument would have been in this case.
“This shows that it was never just about performance. It’s about who is recognized as a woman. Until we understand that the fight needs to be for everyone, all women, without exception”Tifanny said.
Read the note in full:
“This news is very sad and represents a huge setback for the sport.
Many people try to reduce this debate to an exclusive attack on trans people, but it’s not just about that. It’s about women. About all women. With these new rules, many athletes may be harmed, including Cis women, by increasingly questionable criteria. And this needs to be discussed responsibly, not with exclusion.
“There is a discourse that all this is to ‘protect women’s sport’, but in practice we see something else. When the issue involves trans people, there is always an attempt to remove, exclude, question their presence, regardless of the context.
“We had a clear example recently with Erika Hilton, who had her identity questioned to the point of trying to remove her from a space that is, precisely, the representation of women. If before the argument was ‘advantage’ or ‘strength’, in this case what was it?
“This shows that it was never just about performance. It’s about who is recognized as a woman.
“As long as we do not understand that the fight needs to be for everyone, all women, without exception. We will continue to make room for decisions that divide and weaken us. Rights cannot go backwards. The world cannot go backwards.
“Either we take a stand now, or we accept seeing achievements being dismantled little by little by an extreme right that insists on excluding, dividing, destroying.”
