GENEVA, May 27. /TASS/. Transgender athletes (the LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) will be allowed to participate in Olympic competitions in categories corresponding to their biological gender, the press office of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement on Wednesday.

TASS reported earlier in the year that the IOC had ruled to ban transgender people from participating in women's sports competitions.

"Transgender athletes are not excluded from IOC events, including the Olympic Games. Like all other athletes, they are eligible to compete in the category that aligns with their biological sex," the statement reads. "Transgender athletes who are biologically female - as per the eligibility requirement - and who meet qualification standards may compete in the female category as long as they have not used testosterone or other androgens."

"Transgender athletes who are biologically male and who meet qualification standards may compete in the male category," according to the IOC. "Outside the Olympic Games or other IOC events, like all athletes who do not qualify for the Olympics, transgender athletes can participate in all other sporting events available to them."

"In summary, the policy applies specifically to eligibility for the female category, which is defined as ‘the competition category designated for athletes who are biological females.’ It does not introduce new eligibility rules for the male category. Athletes who are not eligible for the female category ‘continue to be included in all other classifications for which they qualify, including any male category and any open category,’ where these exist," the statement from the IOC added.

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo saw the first-ever trangender athlete compete - Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand - who took part in the women's weightlifting event in the under-87 kg weight category. Hubbard finished in last place.

At the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in France, Imane Khelif from Algeria won a boxing gold in the women’s under-66 kg weight category. After the results were announced, French journalist Jaffar Ait Audia reported that an MRI scan had revealed the absence of a uterus and the presence of internal testicles. A chromosome test confirmed the Algerian woman had an XY karyotype, and a hormonal test showed that her testosterone levels were on a par with those of a typical man.