The Olympic movement has changed guidelines on transgender athletes, saying they don't need to have undergone full surgery to compete as a member of their preferred sex.

Under previous guidelines, it was not recommended athletes who had transitioned should be eligible unless they had undergone operations and two years of hormone replacement therapy.

The new recommendations mean that female-to-male athletes will be able to take part "without restrictions", while competitors born genetically as men who wish to take part in women's events will have to show they have had reduced testosterone levels for a year before their first competition. 

According to The Guardian, the change was made by the IOC as a result of "current scientific, social and legal attitudes on transgender issues".