On 27 October, the Council of Europe launched its Recommendation on equal rights for intersex persons. The Recommendation calls on member states to adopt and effectively implement comprehensive measures that protect the right of intersex people in all areas of life, including education, employment, healthcare, social protection, culture and sport. It emphasises the need to prevent and combat discrimination based on sex characteristics and to ensure that intersex persons enjoy the same level of protection as others, even in countries where this ground is not yet explicitly mentioned in legislation. In the field of sport, the Recommendation highlights the responsibility of governments to cooperate with sports bodies to ensure that all policies, regulations and eligibility rules respect human rights standards. It calls for an environment in which intersex persons can participate freely and equally in all forms of sport, without facing additional medical requirements or barriers linked to their sex characteristics.
