Academics slam the IAAF's testosterone limits for female athletes as unscientific

A pair of academics have come out against regulations on testosterone levels in women's athletics proposed by the IAAF saying the measures lack any scientific backing.

South African athlete Caster Semenya has challenged the IAAF ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport with a ruling expected next week.

Dr Sheree Bekker and Dr Cara Tannenbaum have dismissed the IAAF's contention that testosterone levels are the prime indicator of biological sex and also of how well an athlete will perform as being without basis.

Writing in an editorial for the BMJ (the British Medical journal), applied health scientist Bekker states:

Men usually have higher levels of testosterone in the blood than women, but not always, since hormone levels in the blood depend on a lot of different factors such as age, health conditions, other medications, menstrual cycle and stress.

Based on these circumstances, there can be overlap between blood levels of testosterone in some men and women, and especially athletes.

Bekker and Tannenbaum noted that no valid test exists to determine whether a person is resistant to testosterone and described the IAAF's appalling genital examinations as an invasion of personal privacy .

The requirement to prove androgen sensitivity in athletes is also problematic since reproducible, valid laboratory tests to detect androgen sensitivity do not exist.

To diagnose female athletes with androgen sensitivity, the IAAF mandates a physical examination, gynaecological assessment, and radiological imaging for women who have high testosterone levels on antidoping tests.

There has been much criticism of this approach, particularly around examinations of clitoral size, which many view as inappropriate, subject to false interpretation, and an invasion of personal privacy.

The scientists went on to further criticize the way the IAAF has framed the proposed regulations and the idea that there is a natural level of testosterone for men and women.

What we are seeing is the policing of women's bodies, problematically framed as fairness or protecting other women, said Bekker. We don't need to be protected from women just as men in sport aren't protected from other men.

Bekker points out that it is ludicrous to bar individuals from competition simply because of a natural physical advantage.

She added: This is about natural testosterone levels. Are we going to go to a point where we are banning people who are tall from playing basketball or swimmers with long arms? Those are also natural advantages.

If the CAS uses existing precedents they are likely to rule against the IAAF and in favour of Semenya.

Tags: Caster Semenyaiaaf

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