The International Olympic Committee Is Setting the Global Standard for Women’s Sports

By Payton McNabb

We are living in an era that has declared war on biological truth. For years, mainstream media has eagerly amplified falsehoods in the name of “inclusion,” while female athletes paid the price in stolen medals, shattered records, and broken bodies. But the tide has turned. Common sense is roaring back—and the world’s most powerful sports institution just proved it.

Finally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)  followed through on their promise to protect the women’s category. As the president of the ICO stated “The policy that we have announced is based on science, and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart.”  

In the video statement, Coventry goes on to say, “The scientific evidence is very clear: Male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power, or endurance… And in some sports, it would simply not be safe.”

I know the risk firsthand. 

As a high school athlete, during my senior volleyball season, I was severely injured by a male athlete competing in a girls’ match. At that moment, the debate over safety—or even inclusivity—came to an abrupt halt. It became physical for me. I have had major repercussions from my injury: vision issues, severe anxiety and depression, partial paralysis, chronic pain. Despite all this, I have been made fun of and smeared, even told that my injuries are “pretty funny.”

For years, female athletes have been told that fairness is subjective and that safety concerns are exaggerated. But sports have always had clear guardrails that reflect physical reality. Sex-based categories in sport were not created to exclude, but to give women a fair, safe space to compete and succeed. Those that argue otherwise are sorely mistaken. 

In most sports, the rules quietly acknowledge these differences. In volleyball, the nets are set at different heights for men and women—higher for men, lower for women—directly acknowledging very tangible differences in strength, reach, and vertical ability. These differences are not controversial; they are biological reality and exist because fairness and safety in sport depends on recognizing reality, not denying it. Yet when it comes to who is allowed to compete in the women’s category, these differences no longer matter, and safety is often set aside in favor of the feelings of biological men.

But they do matter. They matter when a man hits a ball with greater speed and force. They matter when his arms and legs are longer than those of the women he’s competing against. 

The IOC is the most influential governing body in sports. Their decision signals something important: that fairness, safety, and integrity are not opposing values—they are the very foundation of competition.

Finally, we are seeing a long-overdue shift toward protecting fairness and safety in women’s sports. This preservation of our category is nothing short of vital for the future of this country.

In just the last year, there has been meaningful progress in restoring Title IX to its original strength. Thanks to the strong influence of President Trump’s executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, female athletes from across the world who will compete in the 2028 Olympic games, which I’m thrilled will be hosted here in the United States, now have a renewed sense of support and protection.

IOC’s decision is common sense—and it’s about time. Women have lost medals, records, and opportunities, and others like me have faced the very real physical consequences because officials ignored biological reality. Protecting female categories isn’t discrimination—its respect. The Olympics finally recognized what should’ve been obvious all along: women’s sports are for women. 

But now the onus is on our own policymakers. Despite years of stories from those harmed, silenced, or denied opportunities, some elected officials continue to ignore these facts. If we cannot admit one of the most basic foundational biological realities—that men and women are different—our nation will not be able to continue in a serious fashion. If we want to keep the America we know and love, we must hold them accountable to ensure women nationwide—not only the ones who compete in the Olympics—are protected.

Payton McNabb is a sports ambassador for Independent Women and former three-sport high school athlete who turned tragedy into triumph after a traumatic brain injury ended her athletic future.