Author: Sorcha Ní Fhaoláin
On Tuesday (March 25) Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, introduced mandatory sex testing for female athletes.
World Athletics will introduce mandatory testing for all women entering female competitions to verify their biological sex, insisting it is necessary to protect women’s sport.
The ruling will mean a complete ban on all intersex and Transgender women from competing in their women’s category in all athletics events.
Lord Coe has always been very vocal on his opposition to Transgender women competing in athletics, however this announcement came a lot sooner than I expected, and is possibly a defiant swipe at the International Olympic Committee.
Kirsty Coventry recently defeated Coe in the election to become president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Sebastian Coe lost out on this coveted appointment after standing apart from the field with some of his policies – including a blanket ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports.
World Athletics have still not definitely defined how they will sex test athletes.
Stating that pre-clearance testing would be required for all women to be able to compete in the international female category.
The proposed swab for the SRY gene that is typically found on the Y chromosome is problematic , and I believe it will invariably lead to a physical inspection of women’s bodies.
The ban also goes further than even I expected by excluding all women with differences of sex development (Intersex women).
The next Olympic Games will be held in the US, and President Trump has issued a number of executive orders to ensure the Trans women will not be permitted to compete. The irony that a sexual predator stating that he wants to protect women’s sports has not been lost on everyone, and there has been opposition and legal challenges to his demands.
Excluding women who are trans or intersex hurts all women. It invites gender policing that could subject any woman to invasive tests or accusations of being “too masculine” or “too good” to be a “real” woman.
Trans women’s rights are women’s rights. We need to treat them just like every other girl and woman, and that includes in sports.
About me: I have been involved in the Irish Cycling scene for over 40 years – In that time I have been an Elite Rider, A Coach and Manager at Elite National team level. A multi National Medalist & Champion.
