Sebastian Coe says the decision is crucial to protecting women’s sport
World Athletics announced on Tuesday that it has approved the introduction of a cheek swab test to determine if an athlete is biologically female.
Sebastian Coe, president of the International Track and Field Federation, described the decision by the body’s decision-making council as a “really important” step in protecting the female category.
Ensuring integrity in women’s sports
“It’s important to do it because it maintains everything that we’ve been talking about, and particularly recently, about not just talking about the integrity of women’s sport, but guaranteeing it,” Coe said in a press conference following the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
“We feel this is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining an absolute focus on the integrity of the competition.”
The decision follows extensive consultation
Coe stated that the decision was made after broad consultations on the proposal.
“Overwhelmingly, the view has come back that this is absolutely the way to go,” he said, noting that the swab test is not considered to be overly intrusive.
He also expressed confidence that the policy could withstand legal challenges but acknowledged the reality of potential disputes.
“You accept the fact that that is the world we live in.
“I would never have set off down this path to protect the female category in sport if I’d been anything other than prepared to take the challenge head-on.
“We’ve been to the Court of Arbitration on our DSD (difference of sex development) regulations.
“They have been upheld, and they have again been upheld after appeal. So we will doggedly protect the female category, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to do it.”
The announcement comes a week after Coe finished third in the race to become the new president of the International Olympic Committee, a position won by Kirsty Coventry, the former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe.