For several years now, many female athletes have had to endure “gender verifications” – sex testing to identify those women whose hormones, chromosomes, etc. develop in a way that differs from the norm. Some women naturally produce more testosterone than others, causing them to seem more masculine than their fellow competitors. This comes along with some controversy concerning the fairness of the sport.
The agreement that has been reached says that there will be a new policy being enforced in which these women might be forced to lower their hormone levels with medication or choose to compete with the men. Otherwise, they would have to face the end of their athletic career.
Courtesy: Athletics Weekly
With the current changes in society, gender has become a more fluid term, which sparks even more debates regarding the issue of which categories these women will be allowed to compete in. The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) states that this new regulation will be directed towards those women whose testosterone levels exceed the normal range for women, which is about 0.12 to 1.79 nanomoles per liter. For men, the range is 7.7 to 29.4 nanomoles per liter. They claim that when women reach these levels, they have a performance advantage in terms of muscle mass and strength.
Much of the heat surrounding the argument is speculated to be pointed toward one track runner, in particular, Caster Semenya. She’s a 27-year-old South African Olympic gold medalist who – to many people – is a prime example of why the imbalance of hormone levels is unfair.
The policy isn’t expected to be in full effect until November, but people are already expressing their discontent with the decision. To some, it might make sense, but to others, it’s a sign of blatant disrespect and unfairness within the athletic community.