The Minister of Sports in France, Marina Ferrari, has called IOC's decision to ban transgender athletes from women's sports, reintroducing gene testing to only allow biological women to compete, a "step backwards", noting that these type of tests were introduced in 1967 but discontinued in 1999 "due to strong reservations within the scientific community regarding their relevance" (via Reuters).
In a statement, Ferrari expressed their deep concerns on behalf of the French government because "it specifically targets women by introducing a distinction that undermines the principle of equality", and reassures that no such a measure will be taken in France, committed to safeguarding athletes' privacy.
"We oppose a generalisation of genetic testing that raises numerous ethical, legal and medical questions, particularly in light of French bioethics legislation", Ferrari added, explaining shortcomings of the measure: "It defines the female sex without taking into account the biological specificities of intersex individuals, whose sexual characteristics present natural variations, leading to a reductive and potentially stigmatizing approach".
Ferrari also announces the creation of a national observatory bringing together sports bodies, scientists, legal experts and athlete representatives, with the goal of ensuring that sport is "fair, inclusive and respectful of human rights".