To the Editor.—
While I agree with Drs de la Chapelle1 and Simpson2 that the sex chromatin screening method presently used by the International Olympic Committee to verify gender is problematic, alternative screening methods are inadequate for determining the sex of athletes.
In response to differences in performance between the sexes, segregation of athletic contests by sex has been both a desirable and a necessary goal.3,4 The rationale espoused by the US Olympic Committee for separation of the sexes in the majority of events is that it ensures the matching of persons of equal strength.
While Drs de la Chapelle and Simpson argue that the fundamental failure of sex chromatin screening is that it assesses the least relevant parameter of sex, alternative screening methods are inferior as a determinant of sex where the participant intends to compete against others on the basis of physical ability. For example,
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