Olympics-IOC needs clear stance on gender, says presidential hopeful Coe

Sebastian Coe, a former Olympic champion and current president of World Athletics, has said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) needs to take a clearer stance on gender in sport.

Coe, who is one of the favorites to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president in 2025, said that the IOC needs to "find a way of accommodating transgender athletes in a way that is fair and inclusive."

The issue of transgender athletes in sport has become increasingly contentious in recent years. In 2016, the IOC issued guidelines that allowed transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics, provided they had undergone gender reassignment surgery and had been taking hormone therapy for at least one year.

However, these guidelines have been criticized by some, who argue that they are unfair to female athletes. In 2021, the IOC announced that it would be reviewing its guidelines on transgender athletes.

Coe said that the IOC needs to "strike a balance" between fairness and inclusion. He said that he believes that transgender athletes should be able to compete in the Olympics, but that it is important to ensure that they do not have an unfair advantage over other athletes.

Coe's comments come at a time when there is growing pressure on the IOC to take a clearer stance on gender. In recent months, several high-profile transgender athletes have come out publicly, and there have been calls for the IOC to update its guidelines on transgender athletes.

The IOC is expected to make a decision on its guidelines on transgender athletes in the coming months. Coe's comments suggest that the IOC is likely to take a more inclusive approach to transgender athletes in the future.