Named: The athletes who face being BANNED from the Olympics with new transgender and DSD rules to block male-born competitors out of women's sport

When Laurel Hubbard took to the red stage in Tokyo and began to lift a 120kg weight, she made history by becoming the first openly trans woman to compete in a solo event at an Olympic Games.

Four years on, it seems like those who dreamed of following in Hubbard's footsteps will be blocked from doing so. 

Come 2028, it is looking increasingly likely that trans women will be prevented from competing at what is widely considered the most prestigious competition in sports.  The policy is similarly likely to cover differences in sex development (DSD) athletes, but faces internal opposition, according to Daily Mail Sport sources.

On Monday afternoon, it was revealed that a ban on transgender women in Olympic sports is edging closer and is strongly expected to be in place for the LA Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), under new president Kirsty Coventry, is in discussions around a dramatic policy shift that would prevent the likes of Hubbard from competing at the Games again.

Many other athletes are set to be affected by the new policy, which looks likely to come into action next year after the Winter Olympics in February 2026, and their dreams of competing at the pinnacle of their sports could be dashed. Daily Mail Sport looks at six transgender or non-binary athletes who the proposed new policy would impact.

Laurel Hubbard 

Hubbard broke new ground in 2021 by competing in the women's weightlifting competition at the Tokyo Games.

At the time, 43 years old, she finished last, being the only woman out of 10 who failed to complete a single lift. She tried once at 120kg and the bar dropped behind her, and twice she went for 125kg and could not snatch that either. 

Hubbard was born in 1978 and given the name Gavin. She transitioned in 2012 at the age of 35 and went on to win two World Championship silver medals in 2017 and compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

She is no longer an active weightlifter, so regardless of the new policy, the LA Games are not on the cards for her, as things stand

Imane Khelif 

Imane Khelif rose to global prominence as she won gold at the Paris 2024 - but her inclusion in the contest sparked controversy amid claims that she had allegedly failed a gender eligibility test the previous year. 

The International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif and Tawin's Lin Yu-ting, who also competed at the Olympics last summer, from their World Championships. 

Since the dispute in Paris, World Boxing have since confirmed that fighters will be required to undergo mandatory sex screening to compete in their events. 

Khelif has not competed since the tests were introduced, but the 26-year-old has since taken her fight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to compete without being tested.

There have been previous reports that Khelif is DSD, but this has not been confirmed. 

Chelsea Wolfe 

American BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe already knows what it feels like to have her hopes dashed after rule changes.

She was selected by Team USA as an alternate for the Tokyo Games but was prohibited by cycling’s governing body, UCI, from competing in Paris due to new regulations.

Wolfe also recently hit the headlines when she shared a series of social media posts celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of Donald Trump who was shot and killed in September. 

Wolfe's personal Instagram story was littered with celebratory posts in the wake of Kirk's death. One of the posts, which has since expired, featured a report from USA Today on the horrific murder, with an animated caption of children's cartoon character 'Dora the Explorer,' according to Fox News. Above it read: 'We did it!.' 

Team USA issued a response to Wolfe's sickening posts on Friday afternoon. They said: 'The views of current and former national team athletes are their own and do not reflect those of USA Cycling. 

'Chelsea Wolfe has not been a member of the USA Cycling National Team or a member of USA Cycling since 2023.'

Lia Thomas 

Lia Thomas made history in 2022 when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a college swimming title.

The triumph was a significant moment in the debate around transgender athletes, with female competitors sympathizing with Thomas but unhappy at sharing a locker room with her and questioning how fair it was to be racing her.

However, she never made it to the Paris Olympics due to being banned by World Aquatics due to some strict rule changes in 2022. 

The rules require trans competitors to complete their transition before age 12 in order to be able to swim in the women's division, but Thomas was in university at the time she transitioned.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport panel upheld the ban on Thomas competing in elite women's competition in 2024, ruling that she was ineligible to challenge World Aquatics' policy on trans athletes. 

So, regardless of the policy change, Thomas is unlikely to compete in LA 2028. 

Emily Bridges 

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges is another who already knows the pain of being banned from competing in elite female competition due to rules in her sport.

Bridges had been hopeful of donning the Team GB jersey in Paris last summer, but a ban imposed by UCI made her ineligible to compete at the Games.

The cycling governing body's rules say that only those born biologically female can enter its female category.

Bridges admitted after the ruling that part of her life 'is gone now', adding that competing is 'not something I really want to do anymore'. 

She was given the option to compete in the 'open' category alongside other transgender athletes, both men and women. 

But the cyclist stated that she doesn't care if she 'never competes again' and doesn't regularly think about returning to the sport.