Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). he said it is no longer scientifically possible to distinguish between men and women during their final press conference before the Games conclude this weekend.
Bach was asked about two controversial athletes who reportedly had XY male sex chromosomes and competed in women's Olympic boxing. “Women should be allowed to participate in women's competitions. And the two [boxers] they are women,” she said.
According to Bach, sex chromosomes no longer determine whether someone is male or female. “I have explained before the problems we have. It is not as easy as some in these culture wars may now want to portray that XX or XY is the clear distinction between men and women,” said Bach. “That's scientifically. It's not true anymore. And so these two are women and have the right to participate in the women's competition, that has nothing to do with it in any way.
The IOC abandoned genetic sex testing in 1999. That's why there are reports that the two controversial boxers have XY chromosomes, but the IOC did not conduct its own testing.
When asked if the IOC would be willing to review its policies ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, Bach reiterated that there was no simple way to distinguish between men and women.
“If someone presents us with a scientifically sound system, how to identify men and women, we are the first to do it. We don't like this uncertainty,” said BAch. “We don't like it for anyone's general situation, so we'd be more than happy to look at it, but what's not possible is for someone to say 'that's not a woman' just by looking at someone or falling into a smear campaign of a non-credible organization with very political interests”.
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