DSD competitors will need to lower blood testosterone below 2.5 nanomoles per liter and maintain that level for two years as opposed to one in order to participate in the female division.
For certain athletes, sports are strengthening their regulations. New guidelines for athletes have been established by World Athletics, which forbid transgender women from competing in women’s track and field events and any transgender woman who has gone through male puberty from competing in female categories.
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
According to Aljazeera, testosterone levels have no bearing on the world track and field federation’s guidelines. The International Olympic Committee, 40 national federations, and trans organizations, according to World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, concur that transgender athletes shouldn’t participate in female sports.
“Many believe there is insufficient evidence that transwomen do not retain advantage over biological women and want more evidence that any physical advantages have been ameliorated before they are willing to consider an option for inclusion into the female category,” Coe said. “The judgment we took … was, I believe, in the best interests of our sport.”
A transgender-led organization is currently in the works to further monitor scientific breakthroughs, but ensuring fairness for female athletes is the priority for changing the regulations.
“We’re not saying ‘no’ forever,” Coe said. “We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage, which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.”
“There are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics and consequently no athletics-specific evidence of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female competition in athletics,” the World Athletics Council said in a statement. “In these circumstances, the Council decided to prioritize fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion.”
The council also decided to strengthen new rules for athletes with Differences in Sex Development. (DSD). DSD competitors will need to lower blood testosterone below 2.5 nanomoles per liter and maintain that level for two years as opposed to one in order to participate in the female division. – Steve Sijenyi
