New Zealand, Australia say Olympic gender rules bring 'clarity'

WELLINGTON, March 27 (AFP): New Zealand's Olympic Committee said Friday that an IOC ruling that only "biological females" will be allowed to compete in women's events would bring greater "clarity" and "fairness" to future Games.
New Zealand famously fielded transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in a controversial first.
Transgender women will in future be prevented from taking part, as will athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD).
NZOC chief executive Nicki Nicol said the organisation recognised the "extensive consultation and expert input that has informed this policy", particularly from athletes.
She said it would bring "greater clarity, consistency and fairness to eligibility for the female category at the Olympic level".
"This is a complex and sensitive area that directly affects people, not just policy," she added.
The IOC changes will mean testing for gender to determine eligibility to take part in women's events from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics onwards.