Transgender people are banned from women’s athletics competitions “as of March 31”announced Thursday, March 23 the president of World Athletics, the international federation. “The (World Athletics) Board has decided to exclude male and female transgender athletes who have experienced male puberty from international women’s competitions”I explained Sebastian Coe.
“The World Athletics Council has taken clear action to protect the female category of our sport (…) by restricting the participation of transgender and intersex athletes”, added Sebastian Coe. The majority of athletics stakeholders consulted “felt that transgender athletes should not compete in the women’s category”he explained.
“For many, the evidence that trans women do not retain an advantage over biological women is insufficient. They want more evidence (…) before considering the option of inclusion in the female category”, continued the official. The current rules required transgender athletes wishing to participate in the female category to maintain their testosterone levels below the threshold of 5 nmol/L for one year.
A regulation denounced by a champion
In addition, intersex athletes, for example the emblematic South African Caster Semenya, must since April 2018 maintain their testosterone level below the threshold of 5 nmol/L for 6 months to participate in events ranging from 400 m to the mile (1 609m).
This regulation had been denounced by Semenya, double Olympic champion in the 800 m, who refuses to comply with hormone treatment or an operation, but who had lost the appeals brought in particular before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had asked sports federations in November 2021 to establish their own criteria to allow transgender and intersex people to compete at high level.