Will the Olympics Finally Protect Women's Sport? / Anti-Doping Antagonism and The Enhanced Games / Bracy-Williams Banned

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Nov 14, 2025

The International Olympic Committee may soon implement policies to protect women's sports by limiting trans-identified males and athletes with DSDs from competing. A heated debate erupts between WADA and USADA regarding the controversial Enhanced Games, raising questions about the integrity of competition. Meanwhile, US sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams faces a lengthy ban after cooperating in an investigation, hinting at deeper issues within anti-doping enforcement. Tune in for insights on complex challenges in sport, gender policy, and athlete integrity.

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INSIGHT

IOC Poised To Tighten Women's Eligibility

The IOC is moving toward a firm policy to exclude biological males from women's Olympic sport, but details remain unresolved.
Key questions include whether DSDs are treated the same, whether screening/testing will be mandated, and if sports must comply.

INSIGHT

Uniform Policy Or Fragmented Guidance?

The IOC may either mandate a uniform exclusion policy or issue softer guidance that lets federations decide, creating potential chaos.
Effective protection requires standardised screening/testing and resourcing for federations before Olympics.

ADVICE

Use Olympic Leverage And Fund Testing

The IOC should use Olympic leverage to force consistent eligibility rules across federations and support sports with screening capacity.
Provide testing resources at world championships in lead-up years so sports can meet Olympic standards.

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In today's show, we run the Spotlight over news stories from the past week, including:

4:32. The International Olympic Committee are reportedly going to move to protect women's sport by preventing trans identified males and athletes with DSDs from competing in women's sport. Will this come to pass? We discuss reports on the shift in policy, and raise some key questions. Will the IOC compel screening for sex and testing for advantage? Will they include DSDs in the policy? Will sports be obliged to comply, or remain able to govern eligibility as they please?
18:32. Antagonism in antidoping continues, with shots fired between WADA and USADA, this time over The Enhanced Games. WADA think USADA should be doing more to stop the Games, but USADA say they have no authority to act. We discuss their remits, and the damaging mistrust that now exists between them. We also talk about the threat of the Enhanced Games, and USADA's perceptions of why athletes are joining "the doping Olympics"
28:59. Staying on doping, US Sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams has been banned for 45 months. The 2022 100m silver medalist got a reduced sentence for co-operation, and we wonder what he shared with authorities, and whether the investigative approach will produce future sanctions?
34:09. Chinese teen prodigy Yu Zidi has continued her ascent to the summit of swimming, with a 200m individual medley record that puts her into the conversation for future world and Olympic medalists. We wonder what her trajectory looks like, using a previous Chinese teen phenom to offer a dose of reality.
42:18. And Finally, tennis, with another "battle of the sexes" match in December between Aryna Sabelenka and Nick Kyrgios, with a few modifications to neutralize men's power. We talk about those changes, then finish up with a quirky look at the men's tennis rankings that reflect the extraordinary dominance of the current top two.

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