The International Olympic Committee’s new guidelines open the door to biological men competing as women, without even having to reduce testosterone levels.
"This Framework recognizes both the need to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their gender identity or sex variations, can practice sport in a safe, harassment-free environment that recognizes and respects their needs and identities," the committee said.
The new guidelines, detailed in a six-page document, are a reversal of those published in 2015, which limited athletes’ testosterone levels, requiring some to undergo treatment it now calls “medically unnecessary.”
Previously, transgender women athletes were only allowed to compete providing that their testosterone levels were below the required limit 12 months before their first competition.
"You don't need to use testosterone (to decide who can compete) at all," said IOC medical director Richard Budgett.
The IOC called sex testing to verify an athlete's gender "disrespectful" and "potentially harmful"; labelling it an "invasive physical examinations". (Sky News)
Developed during a two-year process, the IOC worked with over “250 athletes and concerned stakeholders” on the new framework.
While not legally binding, the Committee said the framework should be taken into consideration by International Federations and other sports groups when determining eligibility rules.
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Journalist Abigail Shrier, author of “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” said the U.S. needs to think twice about allowing female athletes to participate if the guidelines stand.
We need to have a serious discussion about withdrawing our female athletes from the Olympics if this foolish, extreme, and unjust policy is allowed to stand.
— Abigail Shrier (@AbigailShrier) November 17, 2021
America has invested too much in the development of our female athletes to submit them to this.https://t.co/6zy98DnbY4
The framework comes months after the controversial decision to allow transgender New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
“Of course, I’m not entirely unaware of the controversy which surrounds my participation in these Games,” Hubbard said after the competition. “And, as such, I’d particularly like to thank the IOC, for, I think, really affirming their commitment to the principles of Olympism, and establishing that sport is something for all people. It is inclusive. It is accessible.”
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