World governing body bans transgender women athletes

World Athletics has banned transgender women from competing in elite female competitions and tightened testosterone restrictions for other athletes, the governing body said on Thursday.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said that the decision to exclude transgender women who had gone through male puberty was based "on the overarching need to protect the female category".

The tighter measures around one of the most contentious and divisive issues in sport follow a similar move by World Aquatics in 2022.