World athletics body has
introduced regulations that restrict the participation of female athletes with
high testosterone levels in certain international track & field events. The
Indian Express explains.
Why did the international
athletics body come with these new eligibility regulations for female runners?
The International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF) had been asked by the Court of Arbitration for Sports
(CAS) to finalise regulations that would clearly specify events in which women
with high but naturally occurring levels of testosterone could participate.
This was after the CAS had directed the IAAF to provide fresh evidence to prove
that women athletes with higher than normal levels of testosterone had a
distinct advantage. It all started after
Indian sprinter Dutee Chand had successfully
challenged the now suspended guidelines for hyperandrogenism
(a medical condition characterised by high levels of
male sex hormones such as testosterone) in 2014.
What were the old guidelines
and how have they changed?
Earlier, women with testosterone
levels of 10 nanomoles per litre or more were ineligible to participate in
track and field events. Dutee challeged the rule, arguing that she had
naturally occurring high levels of testosterone. CAS ruled in favour of the
Indian sprinter. This opened the doors for several other athletes with hyperandrogenism.
Now, IAAF has said that female athletes
with 5 or more nanomoles per litre testosterone cannot participate in 400m,
800m and 1500m races.
How much do testosterone
levels vary between males and females?
Testosterone levels in females usually range between 0.12 to 1.79
nmol/L while the male range is much
higher — 7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L. The IAAF has concluded that it is only
possible for a woman to have a testosterone level of 5 nmol/L or greater in the
case of a tumour or if the athlete falls in the intersex category.
What do the guidelines mean
for Dutee Chand and who else do they affect?
Chand is free to compete in her
two pet events — the 100 metres and the 200 metres — because these do not fall
under the ‘restricted events’ category. However, the new guidelines will make
it difficult for South Africa’s Caster Semenya to compete in 800m and 1,500m at
international events. Semenya had to undergone therapy after winning the gold
in 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships, to reduce her testosterone
levels.
When do the new regulations
come into effect?
From November 1, 2018.
What did the IAAF base its
guidelines on?
The IAAF based the evidence in
part on a study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, in July
last year. The study, which researched the link between track and field
performance and higher than usual testosterone levels, involved 1,332 elite
female athletes and 795 male athletes — a total of 2,127 subjects. A blood
sample was taken from each of these athletes, a number of whom had participated
in the 2011 and 2013 World Championships. Women
with higher levels of testosterone were seen to have a distinct advantage in
400m, 400m hurdles, and 800m and also in hammer throw and pole vault.
So, why did the IAAF not
include hammer throw and pole vault in the guidelines?
Katrina Karkazis, an expert on
testosterone and its effects, who testified when sprinter Chand knocked on the
doors of CAS, feels that the IAAF wanted to target women from the Global South
— Indian subcontinent and Africa — which specifically means Semenya.
Is there any way that an
athlete with higher testosterone levels can now participate in the female
category in restricted events?
In order to participate in events
of the length between 400 metres and a mile, a female athlete with higher
levels of testosterone must reduce her levels to below 5 nmol/L. This can be
done, the IAAF says, through medication
or use of hormonal therapy. Moreover, the athlete has to show that her
testosterone levels are below the upper limit for a period of six months. The
IAAF has said that an athlete does not
have to undergo any kind of surgery.
What if an intersex athlete
does not wish to comply with the new regulations?
The athlete will not be debarred
from competing in the female category in ‘restricted events’ if the event is a
national competition, and will also be allowed to compete in other events
outside the restricted events. The other option for an intersex athlete is to
compete against men at any competition, or participate in the intersex
category.
What is the logic of the IAAF
in asking women to keep their testosterone levels below the upper limit for a
six month period?
The time period is essential, the
IAAF says, to ensure that an athlete does not get any advantage of previously
high levels of testosterone which was present in the body.
Credit: Indian Express Explained
(http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-new-hormone-rules-testosterone-limits-for-women-runners-affect-one-and-not-the-other-5153342/)
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