Sex Verification: You Say You're a Woman? That Should Be Enough

The Problem With 'Sex Verification' At The Olympics

The International Olympic Committee's new policy governing sex verification is expected to ban women with naturally high testosterone levels, a condition known as hyperandrogenism, from women's competitions, claiming they have an unfair advantage. I.O.C. officials portray this as a reasonable compromise in a difficult situation, arguing that the rules may be imperfect, but that sports are rule-based - and that the rules should be clear.

We agree that sports need clear rules, but we also believe that the rules should be fair and as rational as possible. The new policy, if it is based on testosterone levels, is neither.

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