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It was a day of Olympic history.
After the International Olympic Committee revised its policies to ban natural men from competing in women’s sports, many Olympians have come forward to give their reactions to the change.
Several Olympians, including gold medalists, shared their thoughts on the new policy with Fox News Digital.
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Kaillie Humphries, three-time Olympic gold medalist from the US and Canada
Kaillie Humphries, US Olympic bronze medalist, presents the Order of Ikkos to US President Donald Trump during the Women’s History Month event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, Thursday, March 12, 2026. Every year, March is designated as Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
“Today is a great day for women’s sports, and a big win for the Olympic world. By using gender testing, it will allow fair competition. It used to happen years ago, and by restoring it will protect the women’s category. I think it is very appropriate that LA28 will be the games to protect women’s sports, as it is something that our president has encouraged on Fox News.
Donna de Varona, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer from the US
President Ronald Reagan and Donna De Varona as they address the Women’s Sports Foundation. (Getty Images)
“With the election of Christie Coventry and the Olympic Champion and his decision to appoint another woman to lead the medical commission. It was informed that the IOC decided to go outside to reach the researchers to support this idea with science and justice. And it is the right decision,” de Varona told Fox News Digital. “Really science and research is how this decision is based. I mean, I really think everyone should have a chance in sports but on the Olympic stage, it’s a zero-sum game.”
MyKayla Skinner, US silver medalist gymnast at Tokyo 2020
Mykayla Skinner of Team United States poses with the silver medal following the Women’s Vault Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Center on Aug. 1, 2021, Tokyo, Japan. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“Great news! About time!” Skinner told Fox News Digital.
Katie Uhlaender, US skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Katie Uhlaender of the USA competes during the third Women’s Skeleton Race Heat on Day 2 of the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Mt. Van Hoevenberg on March 7, 2025, in Lake Placid, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
“This is huge for women’s sports. For years, female athletes have been asking for clarity, consistency, and fairness in competition. Not politics. Not ambiguity. Clear standards protect the integrity of the division we train our entire lives to compete in. Sports only work if the rules are applied consistently and the athletes can trust them,” Uhlaender told Fox News Digital.
“Progress does not come from avoiding difficult conversations, it comes from speaking with courage. I thank everyone who helped make this happen, who protected women’s sports.”
Tyler Clary, US gold medalist swimmer at London 2012
US swimmer Tyler Clary celebrates winning gold in the men’s 200m backstroke final at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Aug. 2, 2012, London. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP)
“This is a long-overdue return to common sense, and the IOC deserves credit for taking a clear stance. At the elite level, fairness is important—and protecting the women’s category based on biological reality is important to maintain,” Clary told Fox News Digital.
“As an Olympian, I did not dedicate my life to competing on an altered playing field—one that is slanted and hidden in part. The women’s game exists because biological differences matter—the strength, power, and muscle developed through male growth are not erased, and pretending otherwise erases us. The virtue of girls is not a small loss. It is broken.”
Maciej Czyzowicz, Olympic gold medalist in Barcelona in 1992
Polish Pentathalon gold medalist Maciej Czyzowicz (Courtesy of Maciej Czyzowicz)
“It’s better late than never. This decision of the IOC is a big step in the right direction. After all, it has been known for a long time that a person cannot change his gender, and if a person is born a man, then even if he starts wearing women’s clothes, he will always be a man. Besides, there is a big difference between the two sexes in terms of strength and speed, which puts female athletes from the beginning of Foxzy News.
“Therefore, it is very clear that it would not be right for transgender men to compete in the women’s division. Moreover, in other sports it would not be safe. I believe that this decision protects women’s sports, especially by preventing transgender athletes from competing with transgender women.”
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Inga Thompson, US women’s cyclist, three-time Olympian
“If men are allowed to compete in women’s sports, over time, women will be eliminated from having the opportunity to compete at the Olympic level. You will have two divisions at the Olympics. DSD/trans and a male division. Gender testing was very efficient and non-intrusive. A simple once-in-a-lifetime buccal cheek swab,” Thompson told Fox News Digital.
Nancy Hogshead, three-time US Olympic gold medal swimmer
Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead (Courtesy of XX-XY Athletics)
“Playing sport is a human right. Today’s IOC announcement confirms that principle of inclusion and diversity. All athletes must compete in their category; their weight, age, skill category, and now, their gender category. On behalf of women in sport, thank you for your leadership, IOC,” Hogshead said in a statement.
Martina Navratilova, women’s tennis legend and 2004 Olympian in Athens
Former Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova receives the golden racket during the Italian tennis matches at the Foro Italico. Rome (Italy), May 21, 2023. (Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
“Welcome news today from the IOC. People who accept a different gender identity, such as transgender, gender non-conforming, or others should be given the same human rights as other citizens and be protected from discrimination, as long as no sex-based rights are violated,” said Navratilova in a statement.
“That’s what gay, lesbian, and bisexual people have been fighting for for decades. Today’s IOC decision recognizes that in the Olympic Games, gender issues, and women’s sexual rights must come before gender identity.”
Giddeon Massie, US male cyclist, two-time Olympian
“There is very little to commend the IOC’s woefully slow decision. It should have always been a simple and basic conclusion based unequivocally on God’s design of male and female,” Massie told Fox News Digital.
“Our female Olympic and Paralympic athletes are working hard so that their dreams of success are not rooted in self-delusion. Sadly, the sports fields are still filled with recreational sports and those must continue to compete for the sake of young women everywhere, now and in the future.”
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Carrie Englert Zimmerman, US women’s gymnast in Montreal in 1976
“Finally, the International Olympic Committee showed some balls and chose fairness over fear. As an Olympian, I did not dedicate my life to competing on an altered playing field—one that is tilted and disguised as integrated,” Zimmerman told Fox News Digital.
“The women’s game exists because biological differences matter—the strength, power, and muscles developed during male puberty are not erased, and pretending otherwise is not. Justice is not contested. Let little girls dream of gold — don’t let those dreams be lost or ruined.”
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