International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said it is no longer scientifically possible to distinguish between men and women during his final press conference before the Games conclude this weekend.
Bach was asked about two controversial athletes who reportedly have XY male sex chromosomes and competed in women’s Olympic boxing. "Women must be allowed to take part in women’s competitions. And the two [boxers] are women," he said.
According to Bach, sex chromosomes no longer determine if someone is male or female. "I have explained before the issues we have. It is not as easy as some may in these cultural wars may now want to portray it that XX or XY is the clear distinction between the men and women,” stated Bach. “This is scientifically not true anymore. And, therefore, these two are women. And they have the right to participate in the women’s competition. This has nothing to do with inclusion in any way."
The IOC abandoned genetic sex testing in 1999. This is why there are reports that the two controversial boxers have XY chromosomes but the IOC did not conduct tests of its own.
When asked if the IOC would be willing to review its policies ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, Bach reiterated there was no simple way to distinguish between men and women.
"If somebody is presenting us a scientifically solid system – how to identify man and woman – we’re the first ones to do it. We do not like this uncertainty,” claimed BAch. “We do not like it for the overall situation for nobody. So, we would be more than pleased to look into it. But what is not possible is that somebody saying that ‘this is not a woman’ just by looking at somebody or by falling prey to a defamation campaign by not a credible organization with highly political interests."
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