International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach suggested there is no scientific way to differentiate between men and women during a press conference on Friday.
Sex eligibility rules have been a point of contention at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrawing just 46 seconds into her fight with Algerian fighter Imane Khelif.
Perhaps as a result, Bach was asked Friday if the committee would review its sex change guidelines, in response to which he stated there was no concrete, scientific way to differentiate men from women.
Read: Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Sparks Controversy, Criticism, And Testis
“We have said from the very beginning, if somebody presented us [a] scientifically solid system how to identify men and women we [the IOC] are the first ones to do it,” Bach told reporters. “It is not as easy as some in this cultural world may want to portray it — that the XX or the XY [chromosome] is the clear distinction between men and women.”
As of now, testosterone level — not whether someone has an XX or XY chromosomal pattern — is the key criterion in Olympic eligibility, NBC News reported.
Bach also suggested climate change could affect the timing of future Olympics during the Friday press conference, according to Sports Illustrated (SI).
Read: Previously Banned Trans Women’s Participation In Olympic Boxing Sparks Debate
“If the climate change is continuing in a way that the experts are forecasting it, then it will be very difficult to organize Olympic Games in summer, in August,” Bach said, according to SI.
The IOC president’s comments come after the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony starred drag queens posing as Christian imagery, including “The Last Supper.”
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