- Title: IOC presidential candidate Samaranch wants gender rule by early 2026
- Date: 11th March 2025
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (MARCH 11, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JUAN ANTONIO SAMARANCH ON, POLITICISATION OF SPORTS, SAYING: “Since I can remember the games have been politicised or tried to be politicised and the IOC and the Olympic family have been trying to defend ourselves from that. It's not new. It's not a surprise. The more important and re
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- Keywords: IOC International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch Los Angeles 2028 Olympics Olympics gender dispute transgender athletes
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Europe,Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA009784611032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Juan Antonio Samaranch, who is running for president of the International Olympic Committee, would push for a decision on transgender athletes' participation in sports before next year's Milano-Cortina winter Olympics, if elected to the post.
Any decision would also offer clarity for organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with U.S. President Donald Trump last month having ordered the exclusion of transgender girls and women from female sports. He said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete at the LA 2028 Games.
Transgender athletes are currently allowed to compete both in the Olympic Games and the Paralympics, if cleared to compete by their respective federations.
Samaranch, one of seven candidates for the most powerful job in world sports, told Reuters in an interview that should he win the March 20 IOC vote, he would act quickly to avoid having the Olympic Games tarnished by a gender dispute, as was the case in last year's Paris Olympics.
Back in 2021, it was the IOC that had ordered international federations to each come up with their own rules for transgender athletes' participation. Samaranch said it was now up the IOC to take the lead.
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