Who is “woman”? : A Discourse Analysis of IOC Transgender Recommendations that are Governing Women Bodies in Elite Sport

Abstract: Abstract: The world of sport is a world of sex segregation. This is true both for the elite sport and for amateur sport. Only a handful of sport disciplines defy this norm. Historically, this segregation had roots in discrimination, sexism and chauvinism. Today, sex segregation is justified by referencing ideals such as fairness, equality and justice. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has implemented various policies in order to promote the principle of non-discrimination and the right to participate in sports. The aim of this thesis is to understand how IOC shifts between different discourses on the topic of transwomen athletes’ participation in sport competitions and how these different discourses are used to govern and identify women and their bodies. Foucault’s theory of governmentality is applied to describe how the shift from medical discourse towards human rights discourse culminates in ambiguous and unclear policies that try to define who is a woman. Through qualitative discourse analysis of IOC documents on transgender women participation in elite sport, this thesis confirms the shift from medical discourse towards human rights discourse, which culminates in IOC unsuccessful attempts to define “woman”.