Former U.S. womens soccer star ripped the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for implementing a new policy to ensure fairness across womens competitions.
The IOC said “eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a oneâtime .”
The organization added that the policy was “evidence-based” and “expert-informed.” The testing can be conducted via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample.
A presentation at a World Athletics panel in Tokyo in September revealed that 50 to 60 athletes with male biological advantages have been finalists in the female category at global and continental championships since 2000.
The panel was led by the head of the World Athletics Health and Science Department, Dr. Stéphane Bermon, who said sex tests were necessary because of an “over-representation” of DSD (differences of sex development) athletes among finalists, per multiple reports.
However, Rapinoe rejected the policy in the latest issue of her “A Touch More” podcast.
“Unfortunately, we have to say that all in the same breath as a really horrible rule came out from the International Olympic Committee,” Rapinoe said as she praised the transgender community. “They announced a new policy that theyre calling, I cant even believe that theyre calling it this because it has nothing to do with protecting women, I feel like two people, who played at the very highest level for every competition that you possibly could, dont agree with this and never felt like this was an issue at all, The Protection of the Female [Womens] Category.”
Rapinoe dismissed the notion that the policy was rooted in science and said that the IOC was subjecting women to “invasive testing.”
“We already know that biology, as much as we want it to be just nice and clean and tight and perfectly in one category and another, its not,” Rapinoe said. “We know that. So, now what were doing is subjecting everybody, all women and all people who are identifying as women to this really invasive testing that only to me says like, Oh were just trying to whittle it down to a certain type of woman. Is that what were doing? Thats really the whole game here.
“They sort of lost the battle on gay marriage and lost the battle on all these things so its just like, Were gonna have this whole campaign for all these years to just hate trans people, which is such a small percentage of the population. Its actually on a single hand when were talking about sports. And just like thread the absolute tightest needle thread that you possibly could.”
Rapinoe added that the IOC only implemented the rule to appease President administration.
“This committee is framing it as based in science, which its not,” she said. “This will ultimately just prevent people from competing within the womens category that they feel like they have an unfair advantage. Its just really hateful. Theres been so few athletes that are trans or competing as trans and its so blatant on its face. Its a total acquiescence to the Trump administration and to really right-wing conservative politics that really is just bringing down so much hate against such a small percentage of people who are just trying to live their life. Its just horrible and Im just sickened by it, really.”
Conversely, several Olympians supported the IOCs decision.
Kaillie Humphries, a three-time for the U.S. and Canada, was among them.
“Today is a great day for womens sports and a big win in the Olympic world,” she told Fox News Digital last month. “By implementing the sex testing, it will allow for fair competition. It used to happen years ago, and by bringing it back it will protect the womens category. I think its very fitting that LA28 will be the games to protect womens sports as its something that our president has advocated for.”
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