Sebastian Coe, a prominent figure in the world of sports, has made significant statements regarding transgender women competing in women's events at the Olympics. His views have sparked intense discussions and debates within the sporting community.

"Coe's Policy on Transgender Athletes in Olympic Sports"

Background and Launch of Manifesto

Lord Coe, one of the seven candidates for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in March, returned to the site of the successful 2012 London Olympics to launch a manifesto. This manifesto is committed to introducing "science-based policies that safeguard the female category." The calls to protect women's sports have become a contentious issue in the upcoming IOC election. There are concerns that sport could exacerbate the discrimination faced by the transgender community, while others worry about the fairness and safety of competitions.During the Paris Olympics, the IOC's current administration had a permissive stance, stating that if one's passport indicated they were a woman, they could compete in women's sports, leaving eligibility decisions to individual sports.

World Athletics' Stance and Coe's Role

World Athletics, which Lord Coe has led since 2015, took a lead in sport by restricting the participation of male-to-female transgender athletes and tightening rules for those with differences in sex development (DSD). Lord Coe emphasized that the principle is clear. He said, "If you have a vacuum around this policy position, then you end up with some of the things that we witnessed in Paris." The former double Olympic champion was referring to Imane Khelif, who won a women's boxing gold medal despite controversial claims around a failed gender eligibility test.When asked if his proposed IOC regulations would mirror those in World Athletics, Lord Coe replied, "Probably – and it's a policy that many international federations have now taken, including swimming." Pressed on whether it means no transgender women in any women's categories, he stated, "We've been very clear in World Athletics that transgender athletes will not be competing in the female category at elite level."

Other Candidates' Positions

Spanish financier Juan Antonio Samaranch, a current IOC vice president, stated in his manifesto that the "IOC has a fundamental duty to safeguard women's sport by adopting a policy to maintain unambiguous distinctions between men's and women's categories." However, he was less clear-cut on the outcome. He said, "We are trying to protect the fairness and the safety of women's competitions. Decision(s) may change between different sports. And that is the system today, but that is not giving an answer that is satisfying and giving peace of mind to so many people around the world. So we must do better. And I think… we need to find the scientific parameters that can help us put (in) a decision that affects everybody."A second British candidate, Johan Eliasch, also called for the IOC to take a lead on gender and eligibility with a uniform approach across sport. He wrote in his manifesto, "The IOC should lead the way, establishing a simple and clear policy to ensure a fair and safe environment for all athletes, particularly women. This will not be easy, for obvious reasons, but we must remember that the integrity and even the viability of women's sport is at stake here. What is paramount is not public opinion or prevailing trends but the integrity and safety of women's sport."

World Cycling's Perspective

World cycling boss David Lappartient said the IOC must accept that opinions on transgender eligibility within different sports may "vary." He wrote, "It is a complex matter that must be dealt with rationally to strike the right balance between the need to respect human rights and the obligation to ensure fair competition. We cannot ignore what female athletes are saying, but our decisions must also be grounded on solid scientific evidence. The IOC must guide International Federations towards decisions based on common principles and avoid a situation in which each International Federation takes a different stance in equivalent scenarios, which could harm the unity of the Olympic Movement."There are three candidates who do not mention the issue in their manifestos – Jordan's Prince Feisal al Hussein, International Gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe, and former Olympic champion swimmer Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe. Ms Coventry only briefly calls for the "strengthening of women's sports by protecting female athletes" without specifying how this is to be achieved.Interviews were only offered to Sky News by Lord Coe and Mr Samaranch.