The debate over whether trans athletes should compete in women’s tournaments has been on the table for years, with very opposing sides on what’s fairest and testosterone as the backbone of the debate. Today the debate is closer to ending: The International Athletics Federation did not bend its hand and passed a new rule banning transgender athletes from participating in international women’s competitions.

the new norm. As reported by the sports organization, a regulation update was issued as of March 31 that prohibits any transgender women from participating in internationally ranked women’s competitions. The body has decided to definitively close the door to anyone going through male puberty because of the “little support” it received from another previous proposal that involved keeping testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per liter for 2 years.

Because? In reality, the federation headed by Sebastian Coe doesn’t have much data to make this decision, but they are guided by science. They admit that no transgender people have ever participated in any competitions, so they don’t have the information to know what impact the participation of female puberty males will have. However, they say they prefer to prioritize the criteria of equality and integrity rather than include them.

“Decisions are always difficult when it comes to conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we are of the opinion that we need to put equality for female athletes above all other considerations. It will inevitably evolve in the years to come,” said Coe.

Changes. The participation of not only trans women, but also women with different sexual development (DSD) will be limited, South African as Caster SemenyaAccording to scientific research provided by the Federation, their bodies produce unusually high levels of testosterone, giving them a significant advantage over normally developing women. Previously, they were forced to undergo estrogen therapy to limit this. The initiative goes against the latest available resolutions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which advocate full participation without any regulation.

Testosterone science. We argued from the beginning on Magnet various materials like some scientific research has shown that men going through puberty in recent years maintain dramatic energy and strength gains even after taking medication to suppress testosterone levels. And also how mild were other previous adjustments (like allowing up to 10 nanomoles per liter of testosterone): because it still had five times more than a biological woman would have.

It’s doubtful that the treatments even managed to balance things out. This latest works suggests that trans women do 12% better on physical tests, even after taking hormones for two years to suppress their testosterone.

in your favour. This led to Many experts agree that if the differences cannot be controlled with medication, intersex women they should compete with men for justice from other women. In fact, some scholars claim to have male biological characteristicsHigher testosterone levels, stronger bone structure, larger lungs and more muscle mass explain why some athletes do better than others.

Against. But the truth is that at the same time there is more sound Those who want to finish the categories in sports. Some researchers think the ideal is to create more, while others suggest changing the rules so everyone can compete with each other. suggesting options to remove the binary. This is because in many competitions a large number of intersex rivalslived their life as a woman, but was born with one of several differences in sexual development.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the final decision of the Athletic Federation would be unfair, first of all, to women who already competed even with hormonal suppression and are now directly excluded. And not everyone believes testosterone is that important. In this article, we discuss how two leading pediatric endocrinologists are acting. believed their effects were less significant more than the sum of hormones, genetics, education, equipment, personality, and opportunity, among other things.

The case of Semenya or Laurel Hubbard. As in our other articles, the Semenya case was highly controversial and sums up the dilemma very well. The 800m Olympic champion has a chromosomal abnormality that causes her to have no uterus and only inner testicles. That is, it is hyperandrogenic and your body produces high levels of testosterone, which promotes muscle growth. The previous norm was already condemning him, and he himself refused to undergo treatment and could not adapt to the allowable distances, for example, 200 meters. But cases like Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, who are now doing well in the 5,000m, will need to be rethought because they will have to seek treatment from March if they want to continue racing.

And the problem doesn’t just affect athletics. On Magnet, we’re talking about the case of weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who represented New Zealand in the super heavyweight category at the Tokyo Games. Became the first athlete transgender to compete in the Olympic Games. It can because the IOC Guidelines published in 2015 Athletes making the transition from male to female can compete in the female category without the need for surgery to remove their testicles, provided that their total serum testosterone levels remain below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months. And Hubbard fulfilled them. If I was an athlete, I wouldn’t be able to do it today.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

in magnet |Is it time to put an end to the “female” category in sports? The Semenya case and its consequences