Paris: World Track and Field said Tuesday it has approved the introduction of a cheek swab test to determine if the athlete is a biological woman.
Sebastian Coe, head of the International Athletics Federation, said the decision made by the agency’s decision-making committee is a “very important” way to protect the women’s category.
“It’s important to do this because it maintains everything we’ve been talking about, especially recently, not only talking about the integrity of women’s sports, but actually guaranteeing that,” Coy said in a press conference after the World Indoor Championships.
“We think it’s a really important way to provide confidence and maintain an absolute focus on the integrity of the competition.”
Coe said the decision came after extensive consultation on the proposal.
“The overwhelming number of people’s views have come back and that’s definitely the way to go,” although he added that the swab test was not overly invasive.
He said he was confident that the policy could meet legal challenges, but added: “You accepted the facts of the world we live in.
“If I were ready for a challenge, I would never go this path to protect the women’s category in the movement.
“We have been to the arbitration courts of the DSD (Gender Development Difference) statute.
“They are maintained, and they are maintained again after the appeal. So we will tenaciously protect the female category and we will do our best.”
The COE announced the policy a week after his third place in the competition, becoming the new president of the International Olympic Committee, won by former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry in Zimbabwe.
