
(TotalConservative.com) – The Summer Olympics is set to open next month in Paris, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced some brand new “Portrayal Guidelines” ahead of the competition about how the media associated with the games as well as outside news outlets should cover the athletes participating in the games.
On Thursday, June 6, the IOC published an updated version of its “Portrayal Guidelines,” which are a set of suggestions to international media and Olympics-related media on how to report on the participating athletes. In the process release, the IOC states that the goal of the guidelines is to “promote inclusivity and equality in the media’s portrayal of athletes” in the upcoming games.
The updated guidelines include dissuading media from using terms like “biological female” or “biological male,” which have been deemed offensive. These terms, and several others, are included in a section of the document called “Problematic Language,” and claims that such terms are “harmful.” Other terms on the list include “born female” and “born male”; “genetically female” and “genetically male”; “female-to-male” and “male-to-female.”
In sum, the Olympics want to get rid of any language that specifies if an athlete is a man or woman in any context whatsoever, arguing that such genderless language is more “inclusive.” They also suggest avoiding terms that indicate if someone is “transgender” or has undergone any form of so-called “gender-affirming care” either through hormones or surgeries.
The IOC told the media and affiliated media to “be mindful” and to also focus on the “voices and experiences of trans people” in their coverage “as much as possible.” The committee called the sport “one of the most powerful platforms” to promote ”gender equality” and the empowerment of women and girls, and that how the media covers sports “is very influential in shaping” those norms and stereotypes.
The updates come amid news of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas being barred from competing against women. Thomas, who made headlines for winning an NCAA title in 2022 while competing against women, will not be permitted to compete in elite races against females again, including the upcoming Olympics.
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