The IAAF first introduced rules in 2011 to limit the participation of female athletes with high levels of androgens. Known as hyperandrogenism regulations, these rules set the testosterone limit for women with hyperandrogenism at 10 nmol/L (double limit under DSD regulations). Caster Semenya and Francine Niyonsaba are just two athletes affected by the IAAF`s new DSD rules. Here`s a guide to what DSD is and why the IAAF introduced the regulation. But what does it mean to be a DSD person, and what are the rules that Semenya says are discriminatory? “As the international federation of our sport, we have a responsibility to ensure a level playing field for athletes. As with many other sports, we opt for two classifications for our competitions – the men`s events and the women`s events. This means that we must be clear about the competition criteria for these two categories. Our evidence and data show that testosterone, produced naturally or artificially introduced into the body, offers significant performance benefits in female athletes. The revised rules are not about cheating, no athlete with a DSD has cheated, it`s about creating a level playing field to ensure fair and meaningful competition in athletics, where success is determined by talent, dedication and hard work and not by other contributing factors. “The IAAF is convinced that there are certain contexts, including sport, where biology must prevail over identity,” she said when the CAS suspended the rules applicable to Semenya. Semenya argued that the rules are discriminatory and unfair. “I know the IAAF regulations have always specifically targeted me,” she said of her lawyers when the CAS first ruled against her.
Below is a brief explanation of what DSD is, the rules set by World Athletics, why the rules are controversial, and what DSD athletes had to say about it. The IAAF says its rules only apply to people who are “sensitive to androgens,” meaning they can take advantage of androgens and higher testosterone levels in their bodies. Female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) are at the center of the umbrella organization of athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has introduced new licensing rules that it must follow if it wants to compete in track events between 400 m and one mile (1.6 km). But the world of athletics will continue to see her in the future – she insists she hasn`t given up running yet. When Semenya first presented her arguments to the heap, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said: “The IAAF`s core value is empowering girls and women through athletics. The regulations we are introducing serve to protect the sanctity of fair and open competition. Athletics` governing body adds that this is not necessary to participate in other events in the women`s category or in men`s races.
Semenya, the two-time Olympic champion who was the most prominent athlete affected by the DSD rules, appealed to the CAS in February 2019, but ruled against her in April. “The IAAF also believes that the right to participate in a sport does not entail the right to identify oneself in a category or event of competition or to insist on inclusion in a preferred event or to win at a particular event, regardless of the legitimate rules of sport or the criteria for participation.” it is said. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2019 IAAF World Championships, Coe added: “The responsibility we have is to protect these so-called `fair playing fields`, and that`s what we`ve done.” At the 2021 Olympics, Mboma broke a new world record for women under 20, 21.81 seconds, although her favorite event was the 400 meters, in which she was not allowed to participate. In Tokyo, reporters asked her how she felt when she was unable to drive the 400. She declined to comment, but said she was satisfied with her silver medal in the 200. “I keep my head down and focus on the 200 metres. I received a medal. To be justified, the IAAF wants individuals to lower their blood testosterone levels to less than 5 nmol/L (nanomoles per liter) “because this is the highest level a healthy woman with ovaries would have,” she says. The IAAF this week released new licensing regulations | for the female classification (athletes with differences in sexual development) for events from 400m to mile, including 400m, hurdles, 800m, 1500m, one-mile races and combined events over the same distances (“Restricted Events”). RELATED: Elaine Thompson-Herah completes the historical double-double; Gabby Thomas wins bronze in women`s 200m final Semenya has turned her attention to other things with an appearance at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha that is out of the question. She rejected the IAAF`s proposal to obtain drugs to control her testosterone levels.
“Drugs are there for me. Other options such as remote travel or downsizing that I can consider, but drugs? No. The champions of London 2012 and Rio 2016 also received public support from Athletics South Africa and the South African government. According to the UK`s National Health Service (NHS), DSD is “a group of rare diseases involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs, including the genitals. This means that one person`s sexual development is different from that of most others. “I certainly didn`t choose to be born that way,” she said emphatically. The South African took her case to the Swiss Federal Court, which suspended the settlement pending another appeal, resulting in her being provisionally named to The South African team for the 2019 World Cup.
