The Olympics

Did you see the news about the Olympics and trans athletes? They no longer require surgery.

Olympic Committee relaxes guidelines on transgender athletes
Fox World News
By the Associated Press
Published January 24, 2016

Transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in the Olympics and other international events without undergoing sex reassignment surgery, according to new guidelines adopted by the IOC.

International Olympic Committee medical officials told The Associated Press on Sunday they changed the policy to adapt to current scientific, social and legal attitudes on transgender issues.

The guidelines are designed as recommendations -- not rules or regulations -- for international sports federations and other bodies to follow and should apply for this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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Now, surgery will no longer be required, with female-to-male transgender athletes eligible to take part in men's competitions "without restriction."

Meanwhile, male-to-female transgender athletes will need to demonstrate that their testosterone level has been below a certain cutoff point for at least one year before their first competition.

"It is necessary to ensure insofar as possible that trans athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competition," the IOC said in a document posted on its website that outlines the guidelines. "The overriding sporting objective is and remains the guarantee of fair competition."

They are only recommendations and they don’t have to be followed but it is a great step forward from the old rules where athletes had to prove their gender by chromosome test.