I’ve made posts in the past about sex and gender. To pull them up, you can input the word “Gender” in the “Search slowoldrunner.com box”. Part 1 is the one most relevant for this post. In that post, I recommended a competition class called “Female,” but I didn’t state any rules for class eligibility.
This past week, Sebastian Coe, head of World Athletics, introduced a new rule that WA will use to determine who is eligible for the female competition class.
World Athletics is the international governing body for Track and Field, Cross Country, and Road Running. WA is to track as FIFA is to Futbol.
Rules adopted by WA trickle down to USATF, NCAA, and NFHS rules. The NCAA has adopted that each governing body will determine eligibility for gender-specific competitions. Thus, swimming could have a different definition than track.
The new rule uses a one-time DNA test for athletes who want to be eligible for the female competition class. Simply, an athlete’s DNA cannot contain any “Y” chromosomes. Athletes not interested in the female competition class are not required to be tested.
Untested or those with a “Y” chromosome may compete in the Open competition class. This rule covers all intersex athletes with a “Y” chromosome.
Of all the scientific discoveries, a process to change a living human’s DNA has not been found. That will be the next breakthrough.
This rule is a simple use of science. There are no “sex assigned at birth” issues. Other world governing bodies may adopt the rule, and thus our colleges and high schools.
Though I said I should not be the one to decide, I endorse the new simple rule.