"I Hope Everyone Can Compete as Themselves": Transgender Participation Debate Heats Up at the Milan Winter Olympics

IOC Expected to Announce Unified Standards in First Half of Year
Competing as Physically Female Without Hormone Treatment

At the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, Elise Lundholm (23) of Sweden, the first transgender athlete ever to compete in a Winter Olympic sport, stated that she "wants to focus only on skiing rather than on gender issues."

On the 12th, Yonhap News reported that Lundholm, competing at the Winter Olympics as a transgender athlete, finished 25th in the women's freestyle moguls qualification held in Livigno, Italy, and therefore did not advance to the final, which is open only to the top 16. Immediately after the competition, Lundholm said, "I haven't really thought deeply about being the first transgender athlete in a winter sport," adding, "I am here under the same conditions as other athletes, and I am just skiing."

Elise Lundholm of Sweden, the first transgender athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics. AP Yonhap News

"I hope everyone can compete as themselves"

Regarding the complex reactions she has faced recently, Lundholm said, "I hope everyone can live as they are and do what they want to do," and added, "I want all athletes to compete with each other on a fair basis." Although she failed to reach the final, she said, "My run today was not the best, but I identified what I need to fix, and I am happy."

According to the Olympic statistics site Olympedia, Lundholm is the first transgender athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics. It is known that 24 transgender athletes have competed at the Summer Olympics so far. Lundholm was born female but has stated that she has a male gender identity, and she has not undergone hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgery. In this regard, the Swedish national ski team explained, "Since she has not undergone gender-affirming treatment or surgery, there has been no controversy raised about unfairness."

IOC to announce new unified criteria... focus on 'protecting women's events'

In Lundholm's case, she competes in women's events as a physical female without having undergone gender reassignment surgery, so there has been little controversy. However, disputes over fairness have continued in relation to athletes who have undergone such surgery. In response, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced that it is in the process of preparing new unified guidelines on the eligibility criteria for transgender athletes to compete in women's events.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said at a press conference held in Milan on the 9th, "A certain level of consensus has been reached across the sports world," adding, "We expect to announce a new policy in the first half of this year."

Coventry Kirsty, Chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Reuters and Yonhap News

Under its revised 2021 guidance, the IOC has so far recommended that each International Federation (IF) autonomously set its own criteria, taking into account the specific characteristics of each sport. However, criticism has continued that differing standards by sport have caused confusion. The new policy is highly likely to become the first unified standard in IOC history that will apply commonly to all international federations. In particular, whether to restrict the participation of transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty in women's events is reported to be the core issue. Notably, IOC Chair Kirsty Coventry, immediately after taking office, established a "Working Group on the Protection of Women's Events" and presented the development of fair competition standards as a key reform task.

'Fairness vs. human rights'... a long-standing debate in sports

The participation of transgender athletes is regarded as a leading issue where the values of "fairness" and "inclusivity" collide. Some athletes and experts argue that physical differences based on biological sex can affect performance. In contrast, sexual minority groups and human rights organizations counter that discrimination based on gender identity is unjust. In practice, several international federations have recently shown a trend toward tightening their criteria. World Athletics restricts the participation of transgender women who have gone through male puberty in women's events, and World Aquatics has also introduced strict standards.

The debate has spread beyond the sports world into the political arena. With the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics approaching, attention is also focused on the policy direction within the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order on "excluding males from women's sports," taking a hard-line stance that he will ban transgender athletes from competing in women's events not only in school sports but also at the professional level. As this stance is highly likely to clash with future Olympic operations, related controversies are expected to continue going forward.