World Athletics: The governing body of athletics around the world, World Athletics, made an announcement on Thursday regarding a new set of rules. Under these rules, transgender women are not allowed to compete in elite female events at international competitions. In addition, there are now stricter rules regarding the amount of testosterone that other athletes can have in their bodies.
World Athletics’ new rules
World Athletics recently made a decision on a highly debated and divisive topic in sports. This decision follows a similar move made by World Aquatics in 2022. World Athletics’ council voted to reduce the maximum amount of plasma testosterone permitted for athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) by half, from five nanomoles per litre to 2.5 nanomoles per litre.
According to World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, as of March 31, transgender athletes who have undergone male puberty will no longer be able to compete in female world ranking competitions. He emphasized that this decision was made to “protect the female category” and ensure fairness in athletic competition. It remains to be seen how this policy will affect transgender athletes and the wider sports community.
Athletes to be impacted
The stricter rules around testosterone levels will have a particular impact on athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD), including high-profile names like Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic 800-metre champion, Christine Mboma, who won the silver medal in the 200m at the 2020 Olympics, and Francine Niyonsaba, who finished as the runner-up to Semenya in the 800 at the 2016 Olympics
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