SRY gene test is too ‘simplistic’, admits scientist who found it | OneFootball

The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to use the SRY gene test to determine eligibility in women’s sports events is “far too simplistic,” according to the scientist who discovered it.

In a major policy shift, the IOC announced last week that it will reintroduce gender testing at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, preventing transgender women from competing.

Biological sex becomes the criterion

Entry into women’s Olympic competitions “is now reserved for people of the female biological sex,” who do not carry the SRY gene, the IOC explained in a statement last week following a meeting of its executive board.

The IOC will use “a single SRY gene detection test,” which looks for the presence of a Y-chromosome gene known as SRY as an indicator to determine an athlete’s sex. It will be carried out using a saliva sample, a buccal swab, or a blood sample.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe said that “the policy we announced is based on science and was developed by medical experts.”

But Australian professor Andrew Sinclair, who discovered the SRY gene in 1990, said it is not an appropriate test on its own.

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Scientist warns against simplistic view of biological sex

“The IOC states that the SRY gene is a reliable test for determining biological sex and, in this way, deciding who can compete in women’s events,” he said in a statement released Monday night. “However, this policy is based on the overly simplistic idea that the presence of the SRY gene alone is equivalent to being male.”

“Male sex is far more complex and involves multiple genes beyond SRY in developmental pathways, as well as hormones,” the scientist added. “The presence or absence of the SRY gene does not determine the full range of human sexual characteristics.”

Sinclair, deputy director of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, was also critical when World Athletics (the international track and field federation) chose to use the test to determine biological sex last year.

Experts differ on the test’s validity

“The only thing the SRY test indicates is whether the gene is present or not,” he said. “It does not indicate how SRY is functioning, whether a testis has formed, whether it produces testosterone and, if so, whether the body can use it.”

According to Sinclair, “the SRY gene alone should not determine who can compete in women’s sport.”

His position was supported by Vincent Harley, a specialist in the sex-determining chromosomes at Melbourne’s Centre for Endocrinology and Reproductive Health: “the presence of the SRY gene does not define sex in all cases.”

Support and disagreements

“A transgender female athlete may carry the SRY gene; there is limited scientific evidence that the gene provides physical advantages in sport,” Harley noted.

But not all scientists agree.

Peter Koopman, recognized as co-developer of the SRY gene, described the IOC’s decision as reasonable.

“It is clear that the IOC had to do something to address the issue of fairness in sex-segregated competitions,” said Koopman, professor emeritus at the University of Queensland. “The proposed SRY test is a good starting point. It is science-based, non-invasive, simple to carry out, and discreet.”

According to Koopman, “although some will argue that the test’s accuracy is not 100%, this may be a case where the IOC should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Gender testing was first introduced at the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 and was first used in Atlanta 1996, after which it was discontinued.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.