I will stop supporting and investing in the Olympic Games if they support the participation of the LGBT community and I will demand fairness in competition. This is sport, not a platform to promote gender equality. It must guarantee fairness for all.
The comments of James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, one of the main sponsors of the Olympic Games, have sparked a storm of controversy in the world of international sport. Made on October 6, 2025, after learning that transgender athletes Lia Thomas and Valentina Petrillo had registered to compete in the women’s category at the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, these statements represent a direct challenge to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its inclusion policies.
Quincey, known for his advocacy for diversity in the business world, drew a red line: sport must prioritize equity above any social agenda. “We have invested millions to promote excellence and fairness, but this destroys the spirit of proper competition,” he said during an impromptu press conference in Atlanta, the headquarters of the multinational beverage company.
The context for this explosive intervention dates back to years of heated debate over the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions. Lia Thomas, the 26-year-old American swimmer, became the symbol of this controversy in 2022 by winning the NCAA national championship in the 500-yard freestyle, becoming the first trans woman to do so. Her victory, by a margin of 1.75 seconds over Olympic medalist Emma Weyant, sparked massive protests and lawsuits.
World Aquatics, swimming’s governing body, responded in 2022 by banning trans women who had reached male puberty from elite women’s categories, creating an “open” division for them. Thomas challenged this rule before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but in June 2024, the court dismissed her case for lack of standing, frustrating her Olympic aspirations for Paris 2024.
However, the landscape changed dramatically in 2025 under Donald Trump’s second administration. In February, the president signed Executive Order 14201, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which threatens to cut federal funding to institutions that allow trans athletes to participate in women’s sports. This action had a direct impact on the University of Pennsylvania, where Thomas competed, forcing it in July 2025 to revoke three college records set by the swimmer and issue a public apology to the “injured” cisgender athletes.
Despite these barriers, Thomas is back on the Olympic radar. Sources close to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) confirm that after internal reviews in accordance with the new federal guidelines, Thomas has been provisionally entered into the women’s swimming qualifying events scheduled for Los Angeles 2028. “I comply with all applicable regulations and deserve to compete on an equal footing,” Thomas said in a rare online statement. social, defending his right to participate after years of hormone therapy that reduced his testosterone levels below the 2.5 nmol/L required by the IOC.
Meanwhile, Valentina Petrillo, the 52-year-old Italian sprinter classified in the T12 category for blind athletes, adds another layer of complexity. Diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of 14, Petrillo competed in the men’s categories until 2018, when she began her gender transition.
At Paris 2024, she became the first openly trans athlete to make her Paralympic debut, qualifying for the semifinals of the 400 meters but failing to advance to the final, with a personal best of 57.58 seconds. Unlike swimming, World Para Athletics allows her to compete in women’s events if she is legally recognized as a woman, and Petrillo has won medals at world championships, including bronze in the 400 meters in 2023.
Her entry for the 2028 Olympic Games, in the women’s adapted category, was approved by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which emphasizes inclusion without evidence of a “disproportionate advantage.” “I’m a runner, not a political symbol. My son watches me run, and that’s what matters,” Petrillo said in an interview with AFP, referring to his role as a trans father.
Quincey’s reaction is not isolated. Coca-Cola, which invests around $200 million a year in the Games, has been a pillar of Olympism since 1928. But the CEO, unexpectedly for a company that has promoted pro-LGBT campaigns, claims that trans inclusion erodes equity.
“This is not about discrimination, it’s about biology. Women have been fighting for safe spaces in sport for decades, and we cannot sacrifice that to ideology,” she said. Her remarks went viral on social media, racking up millions of interactions. Support comes from figures such as Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics and candidate for IOC president, who reiterated in February 2025 that trans athletes represent “a threat to the integrity of women’s sport.”
Cisgender athletes like Australian Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan have been victims of hoaxes attributing criticism to Thomas, which Swimming Australia denounced as “fake news” in October 2025.
The IOC’s response, under President Kirsty Coventry, was cautious but firm. Hours after Quincey’s remarks, the organization tweeted: “We will review Thomas and Petrillo’s applications. If they do not meet the equity criteria, we will disqualify them.”
This framework, updated in 2021 after consulting 250 athletes, prioritizes inclusion but allows for exclusions based on scientific evidence of benefits, not assumptions. Studies such as one published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2021 conclude that there is no conclusive evidence of inherent benefits for trans women undergoing hormone therapy, although the debate persists.
Critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) call Quincey’s comments “discriminatory,” arguing that “a sport is not for women if it does not include all women.” In contrast, conservative groups celebrate their position as defenders of “biological justice.”
The economic impact is imminent. Other sponsors, such as Visa and Procter & Gamble, have expressed their “concerns” in private meetings, according to Reuters sources. If Coca-Cola pulls out, it could trigger a domino effect, threatening the $1.2 billion in sponsorship revenue for Los Angeles 2028. On the political front, Trump’s executive order forced the USOPC to align its policies in July 2025, effectively banning trans women from competing in women’s competitions to represent the United States, increasing tensions with the IOC. The US Supreme Court will hear two cases involving state bans in October, potentially escalating the global conflict.
Meanwhile, Tommaso and Petrillo continue their training. Thomas, now a law student at Yale, swims every day in university pools, dreaming of breaking barriers. Petrillo, in Bologna, runs with her guide, emphasizing that her visual and hormonal disadvantage makes her “less competitive, not more.” Their stories illustrate the dilemma: Can Olympism be inclusive without compromising equity? Quincey has put her finger on the question, compelling the IOC to act before 2028. But in a polarized world, where science clashes with ideology, the answer will define the Games’ legacy. For now, the sport waits, torn between applause and whistles.
