I will stop supporting and investing in the Olympic Games if they support the participation of the LGBT community, and I demand fairness in the competition. This is sport, not a platform to promote gender equality. It must guarantee fairness for all.
The words of James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, one of the largest sponsors of the Olympic Games, have ignited a storm of controversy in the world of international sport. Delivered 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 corporate world, has drawn a red line: sport must prioritize equity over any social agenda. “We have invested millions to promote excellence and fairness, but this destroys the spirit of fair competition,” he said at an impromptu press conference in Atlanta, headquarters of the multinational beverage company.
The context for this explosive intervention dates back to years of heated debates over the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions. Lia Thomas, the 26-year-old American swimmer, became a 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 with a 2022 ban that excludes trans women who have undergone male puberty from the 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, thwarting 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 transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. This measure directly impacted the University of Pennsylvania, where Thomas competed, forcing it in July 2025 to revoke three collegiate records set by the swimmer and issue a public apology to the “harmed” cisgender athletes. Despite these barriers, Thomas has reappeared on the Olympic radar. Sources close to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) confirm that, following internal reviews aligned with new federal guidelines, Thomas has been provisionally registered for the women’s swimming qualifying trials for Los Angeles 2028. “I comply with all current regulations and deserve to compete on a level playing field,” Thomas said in a rare statement on social media, defending her right to participate after years of hormone therapy that has reduced her testosterone levels below the IOC’s 2.5 nmol/L requirement.
Meanwhile, Valentina Petrillo, the 52-year-old Italian sprinter classified in the T12 category for athletes with visual impairments, adds another layer of complexity. Diagnosed with Stargardt disease at 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, advancing to the semifinals in the 400 meters but not qualifying for the final, with a personal best of 57.58 seconds. Unlike swimming, World Para Athletics allows participation in the women’s category if she is legally recognized as a woman, and Petrillo has won world championship medals, including bronze in the 400 meters in 2023. Her entry for the 2028 Olympic Games, in the women’s adaptive category, has been approved by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which emphasizes inclusion without evidence of “disproportionate advantage.” “I’m a runner, not a political symbol. My son watches me compete, and that’s what matters,” Petrillo said in an interview with AFP, referring to his role as a transgender father.
Quincey’s reaction is not isolated. Coca-Cola, which invests some $200 million annually in the Games, has been a pillar of the Olympics since 1928. But the CEO, in an unexpected turn for a company that has championed pro-LGBT campaigns, argues that trans inclusion erodes equity. “This isn’t about discrimination; it’s about biology. Women have fought for decades for safe spaces in sport, and we can’t sacrifice that for ideology,” he declared. His words have gone viral on social media, racking up millions of interactions. Support has come from figures such as Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics and candidate to lead the IOC, 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, has been cautious but firm. Hours after Quincey’s remarks, the organization tweeted: “We will review the entries of Thomas and Petrillo. If they do not meet the equity criteria, we will disqualify them.” This framework, updated in 2021 after consultations with 250 athletes, prioritizes inclusion but allows for exclusions based on scientific evidence of advantages, 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 advantages for trans women post-hormone therapy, although the debate persists. Critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) call Quincey’s remarks “discriminatory,” arguing that “a sport is not women’s if it does not include all women.” In contrast, conservative groups celebrate her stance as a defense of “biological justice.”
The economic impact is imminent. Other sponsors, such as Visa and Procter & Gamble, have expressed “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. Politically, Trump’s Executive Order has forced the USOPC to align its policies by July 2025, effectively banning trans women from competing in women’s events to represent the U.S., raising tensions with the IOC. The U.S. Supreme Court will review two cases on state bans in October, potentially escalating the global conflict.
Meanwhile, Thomas and Petrillo continue training. Thomas, now a law student at Yale, swims daily in university pools, dreaming of breaking barriers. Petrillo, in Bologna, runs with her coach, 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 his finger on the wound, forcing the IOC to act before 2028. But in a polarized world, where science collides with ideology, the answer will define the Games’ legacy. For now, sport waits, torn between applause and boos.
