The International Olympic Committee’s decision to ban transgender women from competing in women’s events at the Olympic games has found unsurprising support in “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who has regularly come under fire since 2017 for sharing anti-trans views on social media.
“Today’s ruling by the IOC means a welcome return to fair sport for women and girls, but I’ll never forget the scandal of Paris 2024, when people who consider themselves supremely virtuous and progressive publicly cheered on men punching women,” Rowling posted on X, referring to the IOC’s decision to allow Algeria’s Imane Khelif to compete in the women’s boxing competition at the Paris 2024 summer games.
Rowling denounced the Olympics in 2024 for allowing Khleif to box other women. Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships a year prior after she failed a gender eligibility test due to elevated levels of testosterone in her system.
“Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better?” Rowling wrote on X during the 2024 Olympics while sharing a picture of Italy’s Angela Carini in tears and Khelif trying to comfort her after the latter defeated her opponent in 46 seconds because Carini bowed out of the match. “The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”
The Olympics stood by its decision to allow Khelif, who was born female, to compete in the women’s boxing competition, saying: “Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case, that they are female.”
The IOC announced March 26 that transgender women would be banned from events at future Olympic games. The organization issued the following statement (via AP): “Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.”
Rowling has often taken to X to denounce transgender women competing in women’s sports. She infamously got into a social media spat with HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver over the issue, calling him an “undoubtedly intelligent person” who “spouts absolute bullshit” after he claimed “there is no evidence [transgender athletes] pose any threat to safety or fairness.”
Rowling’s celebration of the IOC’s decision to ban transgender athletes was followed by quick praise for HBO’s “Harry Potter” reboot series, the first trailer for which dropped a day before the Olympics news broke. Rowling has been involved in the series development and consulted with studio executives during its making.
“It’s going to be incredible. I’m so happy with it,” Rowling responded to a fan, about 20 minutes after praising the Olympics’ ban.
Today’s ruling by the IOC means a welcome return to fair sport for women and girls, but I’ll never forget the scandal of Paris 2024, when people who consider themselves supremely virtuous and progressive publicly cheered on men punching women. pic.twitter.com/qmQCI2Mks5
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 26, 2026
It’s going to be incredible. I’m so happy with it.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 26, 2026