SYDNEY, March 27 : The New Zealand Olympic Committee on Friday acknowledged the amount of work that went into developing the new Olympic policy on the protection of the female category in elite sport and said it would apply it with “respect and care”.
The policy, unveiled by the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, introduces gene testing which will effectively bar transgender athletes and some with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) from competing in the female class at the Games.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 became the first athlete to compete in a gender category different from that of their birth, would no longer be eligible.
“We recognise the extensive consultation and expert input that has informed this policy … to bring greater clarity, consistency and fairness to eligibility for the female category at the Olympic level,” NZOC Chief Executive Nicki Nicol said in a statement.
“Our focus now is on understanding the policy fully and working carefully … to ensure any next steps are approached with clear understanding, respect and care.
“This is a complex and sensitive area that directly affects people, not just policy. We are committed to showing Manaaki (care) by supporting athletes’ wellbeing, privacy and dignity.”
The IOC’s working group, whose research underpinned the policy, found scientific evidence pointed to a male performance advantage in all sports and of more than 100 per cent in events that involve explosive power such as weightlifting.
Further, they found no “current evidence that testosterone suppression or gender-affirming hormone treatment eliminates this advantage”.
Opponents of the policy dispute the science, have concerns around the mental health of transgender athletes as well as safeguarding and the impact on athletes who discover they have a DSD only after taking the SRY test.
Australian LGBT sports rights group Pride Cup on Friday called on the country’s national sports federations, many of which are committed to inclusion for gender-diverse athletes, to reject the new policy.
“(It shifts) the focus of women’s sport to exclusion by proposing genetic testing and stricter eligibility rules that do nothing to improve conditions for women in sport,” it said in a statement.
The Australian Olympic Committee, however, acknowledged the new policy and the “fairness and certainty” it gave to elite female athletes.
“This decision will be challenging for some athletes and (we) are mindful of their welfare and wellbeing,” said AOC President Ian Chesterman.
“We also acknowledge this decision does not apply to any grassroots or recreational sports programmes.”
The French Olympic Committee said on Thursday that it had “major ethical and scientific concerns for all those affected” and that the SRY tests would be illegal in France under the nation’s strict bioethics law on genetic testing.
French athletes faced challenges conforming to similar requirements put in place by World Athletics ahead of last year’s World Championships but were able to undertake the cheek-swab test outside France.
The IOC did not foresee a major problem with the legality issue.
“Based on (International Federation) experience, genetic screening for sex does not create significant problems in practice,” the policy document read.
“It is legal in most countries, and athletes from the countries where it is not permitted can lawfully be tested elsewhere.”
