GHJP Joins Experts in Condemning the IOC’s New Coercive Genetic Testing Policy
On March 26, 2026, the International Olympic Committee issued a new policy on eligibility for the women’s category at the Olympic Games. This policy requires mandatory genetic sex testing of all athletes who seek to compete in the women’s category, a practice that was discontinued in 2000.
Alice M. Miller, Global Health Justice Partnership (GHJP) co-founder, joined an international coalition of legal scholars in expressing concern about the risks that this measure poses, including conflicts with the IOC’s non-discrimination and inclusion guidelines; and violating domestic and international laws around human rights, genetic testing, and the use of genetic information. The scholars call on the IOC to reject mandatory genetic testing as a condition of eligibility. This work by the GHJP is linked to past advocacy on non-discrimination protections and rights protections for athletes in the international legal frameworks.
Read more on GHJP’s work around sport, including Caster Semenya’s case at the European Court of Human rights.
