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The Story

Why the Olympics may ban transgender athletes

The Story

The Times

Politics, Uk News, News, Long-form Audio, Global News, In-depth Journalism, Daily News, Exclusive Interviews, Audio Storytelling, News Analysis, Current Affairs, Investigative Reporting, Daily News Podcast

3.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, The Times broke the news that the International Olympic Committee is a step closer to banning transgender women from competing in all female events. So why is the IOC acting now? And could President Trump have anything to do with it? 


This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory


Guest: Martyn Ziegler, chief sports reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times. 

Host: Manveen Rana. 

Producer: Micaela Arneson.

Read more: Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic events

Further listening: New rules for trans athletes: fairness or exclusion?

Clips: Sky News, Bloomberg, Sports Insider by DRM / YouTube, CBS Evening News, Sky News Australia, Associated Press, Sky News Sports. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.


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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

From the Times and the Sunday times, this is the story. I'm Manvine Rana.

0:10.4

For years now, the Olympic Games, like the rest of the sporting world, have been caught up in a bitter culture war over one question.

0:23.7

Should transgender women be allowed to compete in women's sport?

0:30.6

51% of this world is female and biology actually exists.

0:35.5

All I've ever wanted to be is myself.

0:38.0

And I'm just so grateful that I've had the opportunity to come here and be me.

0:43.0

I don't believe that transgender athletes should, female athletes, should be competing at the Olympic Games.

0:53.6

In February, the debate reached a fever pitch as Donald Trump waded in and changed the law

1:00.3

in America, which will host the next Olympic Games in 2008.

1:05.2

The war on women's sports is over.

1:09.6

Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes,

1:15.4

and we will not allow men to beat up injure and cheat our women and our girls.

1:23.3

This week, the Times learned that the International Olympic Committee is about to change the rules of the competition.

1:31.4

I found out that the IOC's medical and science director had given a secret presentation in Luzan, Switzerland last week.

1:42.0

That was going to lead to the IOC introducing a ban on transgender

1:47.4

women taking part in female competition.

1:54.0

The story today, why the Olympics could be about to ban transgender women athletes.

2:14.5

The news that the International Olympic Committee, the IOC, might ban transgender women from all women's sport,

2:20.9

was a times exclusive from our super sports sleuth. I'm Martin Ziegler and the Chief Sports Reporter for the Times and the Sunday Times and I focus on investigations and sports

2:27.6

politics. Martin, you've had an extraordinary scoop this week about the Olympics. I suppose it highlights how good your contacts must

2:36.8

be. How long does it take to cultivate contacts like that in the IOC? Well, I've sort of been

2:42.4

doing this job for 25 years. It's a quarter of a century, going to meetings all around the world,

...

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