CAS blocks IAAF rules on Hyperandrogenism

[gh]

i.e., high levels of male hormones, aka Semenya.

Story now on front page.

Question is, does this affect the T/TE ratio thing as well? I'm not well grounded enough in the science to make the distinction with an certitude.

[JumboElliott]

The case of Dutee Chand may not make much of a difference, because she's a marginal athlete, but this is a terrible precedent.

Like Pistorius, this appears to be political correctness getting in the way of science.

[uakari]

i share some of your unease -- however, what is she supposed to do? she's not a man (my guess is she's intersexed), so why should she compete against men?

this is much more complex than you say.

[18.99s]

i share some of your unease -- however, what is she supposed to do? she's not a man (my guess is she's intersexed), so why should she compete against men?

The issue here is that the IOC and IAAF have eliminated direct gender tests, so now they go by the proxy of testing for hormones.

The lack of gender testing means it is not known whether Dutee Chand's abnormally high (for a woman) testosterone level is due to having XY chromosomes and (internal) testicles, or some other medical reason.

[Daisy]

I think the line for testosterone should be where the testosterone is made in the body, not how much is made. If a women's source of testosterone is testes then there are legitimate reasons for ruling that she cannot compete against other women. She has a male organ.

The rules should allow women who have 'high' levels of testosterone, if it not made in testes, to compete with other women. I suspect there is no instance of a women with testosterone levels near a normal males in this situation.

IMO, the only case where high testosterone levels from testes should be allowed is for women who have Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Such women cannot respond to the testosterone and do not have an unfair advantage.

[rsb3]

Count me as one of those confused as to what this decision means in terms of deciding whether an individual is a male or a female in terms of IAAF competition eligibility.

[Blues]

Even if the previous IAAF regulations weren't necessarily perfect, the decision by CAS obviously isn't fair to the vast majority of female athletes. I hope the IAAF will find another allowable way to fairly determine female eligibility if gender testing and testosterone levels can no longer be used.

I assume that any athletes who've previously been using hormone suppressive therapy to reduce testosterone levels (as per IAAF regulations in order to compete with females) will now be able to stop therapy and let their testosterone levels increase, regardless of how high they go or if they result from testicular testosterone production.

And HOW will the IAAF go about proving to CAS exactly HOW MUCH performance improvement can result from increased testosterone levels??? Seems like that could be hard to do... Oh well.. Maybe it's much ado about nothing, but I can't help but wonder if we'll see a new barrage of women's world records soon...

[booond]

but I can't help but wonder if we'll see a new barrage of women's world records soon...

If testosterone levels aren't capped will we see an argument for unfettered drug use to bring all athletes to the same testosterone levels?

[Atticus]

If testosterone levels aren't capped will we see an argument for unfettered drug use to bring all athletes to the same testosterone levels?

That's just what I was thinking. If Athlete A, blessed with abundance of testosterone, a smidge BELOW the tolerance level, is allowed to compete, can't Athlete B, with a normal level (which as I understand to be a mere 25% of the tolerable level), boost her testosterone to be on the 'even playing field'?!

[booond]

That's just what I was thinking. If Athlete A, blessed with abundance of testosterone, a smidge BELOW the tolerance level, is allowed to compete, can't Athlete B, with a normal level (which as I understand to be a mere 25% of the tolerable level), boost her testosterone to be on the 'even playing field'?!

Right. Measurable levels at the highest possible levels for women would be the new baseline and all women allowed to raise testosterone levels to that new benchmark. Bring back the 1970's and 1980's!

[Blues]

I thought that the previous IAAF medical experts' choice for the testosterone tolerance level for athletes with hyperandrogenism was more than lenient, at about 4 to 5 times greater than the highest "normal" female testosterone levels (but even higher levels could be permitted if androgen insensitivity could be demonstrated)... Due to the recent CAS ruling, it seems that testosterone levels may be temporarily unrestricted for hyperandrogenic athletes who wish to compete with other females, regardless of whether their excessive testosterone is due to having testes or due to another physiological reason.

Last night when I was explaining the CAS ruling to my friend (she's not a dedicated follower of track and field or athletics in general), her first reply was: "But the other female athletes will be able to inject testosterone to raise their testosterone levels to equivalent higher levels too, right?..."

[Pego]

I thought that the previous IAAF medical experts' choice for the testosterone tolerance level for athletes with hyperandrogenism was more than lenient, at about 4 to 5 times greater than the highest "normal" female testosterone levels (but even higher levels could be permitted if androgen insensitivity could be demonstrated)... Due to the recent CAS ruling, it seems that testosterone levels may be temporarily unrestricted for hyperandrogenic athletes who wish to compete with other females, regardless of whether their excessive testosterone is due to having testes or due to another physiological reason.

Last night when I was explaining the CAS ruling to my friend (she's not a dedicated follower of track and field or athletics in general), her first reply was: "But the other female athletes will be able to inject testosterone to raise their testosterone levels to equivalent higher levels too, right?..."

...and this is why they should check for the source of high tetosterone levels. If there are undescended testes detected, they should be surgically removed before she can compete as a woman.

[player]

"But the other female athletes will be able to inject testosterone to raise their testosterone levels to equivalent higher levels too, right?..."

I don't think that this is the heart of the issue. Female athletes who inject exogenous testosterone will run afoul of the T/TE ratio standard, which is not affected by the CAS ruling.

The problem is with physiologic males who do not need to inject exogenous testosterone to enjoy a competitive advantage vis-a-vis females. With (a) no gender testing and (b) suspension of rules applicable to absolute testosterone levels for those seeking to compete in women's events, there is a lack of a practically available framework for enforcing the male/female distinction upon which the concept of women's events must rely.

We are not (I think) "going back" to the 70's and (early) 80's, because at that time there was gender testing but no T/TE ratio testing. At the moment, we have the latter but not the former (nor any proxy).

This does come from a liberal arts major and contradiction is freely invited.

[uakari]

nowhere in this ruling it says that it's now ok for female athletes to take any kind of hormones to up their testosterone levels. this ruling pertains to naturally occurring levels.

pego, why should an athlete (like dutee chand) be forced to undergo surgery or treatment that she does not feel is part of her makeup or necessary to her well-being? unlike the 4 athletes that were supposedly made to do so after london (see below), i applaud chand for fighting this. one wonders whether those 4 athletes did so with informed consent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/sports/international/dutee-chand-female-sprinter-with-high-male-hormone-level-wins-right-to-compete.html

[18.99s]

With the cessation of gender testing, this ruling, and other developments such as some states allowing boys to compete as girls in school sports if they self-identify as female (even without having any sex-change surgery or hormone treatment), the difference between male and female for sporting purposes is becoming meaningless.