Latest news with #DSDs
West Australian
31-07-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
World Athletics mandates new gene test for female category eligibility
World Athletics has announced that all athletes wishing to compete in the female category at world-ranking events must now pass a one-time genetic sex test—confirming they are biologically female—before stepping onto the global stage. The once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene, which helps in determining biological sex, can be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test. The testing protocol will be overseen by member federations and the new regulations come into effect on September 1, ahead of the September 13-21 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. 'It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling,' World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement. 'The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case. We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female. 'It was always very clear to me and the World Athletics Council that gender cannot trump biology. We particularly want to thank our member federations for their support and commitment in the implementation of these new regulations.' Athletics has spent years debating eligibility criteria to compete in women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development (DSD). World Athletics bans transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in women's events, while it requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to lower them in order to be eligible. Earlier this year, a working group found that those rules were not tight enough , with a pre-clearance test for the SRY gene being one of several recommendations the group made for revised rules. The SRY gene reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex. The test was also approved by World Boxing in May when they introduced mandatory sex testing for all boxers. Earlier this month, the European Court upheld a 2023 ruling that double 800 metres Olympic champion Caster Semenya's appeal to a Swiss Federal Tribunal against regulations that barred her from competing had not been properly heard. Semenya was appealing against World Athletics regulations that female athletes with DSDs medically reduce their testosterone levels.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Gender cannot trump biology': World Athletics introduced mandatory gender test
Female athletes whose tests show the presence of male chromosomes will not be allowed to compete at world ranking competitions. Once passed, women won't need to do the test again. Athletics has spent years debating eligibility criteria to compete in women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development (DSD) – conditions where there is a discrepancy between a person's external and internal genitals, sometimes known as intersex. World Athletics bans transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in women's events, while it requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to lower them to be eligible. Earlier this year, a working group found that those rules were not tight enough, with a pre-clearance test for the SRY gene being one of several recommendations the group made for revised rules. The test was also approved by World Boxing in May when they introduced mandatory sex testing for all boxers. Earlier this month, the European Court upheld a 2023 ruling that two-time 800 metres Olympic champion Caster Semenya's – who has naturally high levels of testosterone – appeal to a Swiss Federal Tribunal against regulations that barred her from competing had not been properly heard. Semenya was appealing against World Athletics regulations that female athletes with DSDs medically reduce their testosterone levels. Semenya won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but has since been effectively banned from high-level competitions.
The Age
30-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
‘Gender cannot trump biology': World Athletics introduced mandatory gender test
Female athletes whose tests show the presence of male chromosomes will not be allowed to compete at world ranking competitions. Once passed, women won't need to do the test again. Athletics has spent years debating eligibility criteria to compete in women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development (DSD) – conditions where there is a discrepancy between a person's external and internal genitals, sometimes known as intersex. World Athletics bans transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in women's events, while it requires female DSD athletes whose bodies produce high testosterone levels to lower them to be eligible. Earlier this year, a working group found that those rules were not tight enough, with a pre-clearance test for the SRY gene being one of several recommendations the group made for revised rules. The test was also approved by World Boxing in May when they introduced mandatory sex testing for all boxers. Earlier this month, the European Court upheld a 2023 ruling that two-time 800 metres Olympic champion Caster Semenya's – who has naturally high levels of testosterone – appeal to a Swiss Federal Tribunal against regulations that barred her from competing had not been properly heard. Semenya was appealing against World Athletics regulations that female athletes with DSDs medically reduce their testosterone levels. Semenya won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but has since been effectively banned from high-level competitions.
11-07-2025
- Sport
Caster Semenya's sex eligibility battle has confounded sports for 16 years and still isn't over
CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- One of the most complex current issues in sports can be traced back to a track meet in Germany in 2009, when an unknown 18-year-old from South Africa blew away a field of the best female runners on the planet to win the world title. The teenager was hardly out of breath when she flexed her muscles at the end of it. What quickly became clear is that sports faced an unprecedented dilemma with the arrival of Caster Semenya. Now a two-time Olympic and three-time world champion in the 800 meters, the 34-year-old Semenya has been banned from competing in her favored event since 2019 by a set of rules that were crafted by track authorities because of her dominance. They say her natural testosterone level is much higher than the typical female range and should be medically reduced for her to compete fairly against other women. Semenya has refused to artificially alter her hormones and challenged the rules claiming discrimination at the Court of Arbitration for Sport court in Switzerland, then the Swiss Supreme Court and now the European Court of Human Rights. A ruling Thursday by the highest chamber of the European court — Semenya's last legal avenue after losing at the other two — found that she was denied a fair hearing at the Swiss Supreme Court. It kept alive Semenya's case and reignited a yearslong battle involving individual rights on one hand and the perception of fairness in sports on the other, with implications across the sporting world. Semenya is not transgender and her case has sometimes been inaccurately conflated with that of transgender athletes. She was assigned female at birth, raised as a girl and has always identified as female. After years of secrecy because of medical confidentiality, it was made public in 2018 that she has one of a number of conditions known as differences of sex development, or DSDs. They are sometimes known as intersex conditions. Semenya was born with the typical male XY chromosome pattern and female physical traits. Her condition leads to her having testosterone levels that are higher than the typical female range. World Athletics, the track governing body, says that gives her an unfair, male-like advantage when racing against other women because of testosterone's link to muscle mass and cardiovascular performance. It says Semenya and a relatively small number of other DSD athletes who emerged after her must suppress their testosterone to below a specific level to compete in women's competitions. The case has transcended sports and reached Europe's top rights court largely because of its core dispute: Semenya says the sports rules restrict the rights she has always known as a woman in every other facet of life and mean she can't practice her profession. World Athletics has asserted that Semenya is 'biologically male." Track and field's regulations depend on the conclusion that higher testosterone gives rise to an athletic advantage, though that has been challenged in just one of the many complicated details of Semenya's case. To follow the rules, DSD athletes must suppress their testosterone to below a threshold that World Athletics says will put them in the typical female range. Athletes do that by taking daily contraceptive pills or using hormone-blocking injections and it's checked through regular blood tests. Track first introduced a version of its testosterone regulations in 2011 in response to Semenya and has made them stricter over the years. The current rules require athletes affected to reduce their testosterone for at least two years before competing and throughout competitions, effectively meaning elite DSD runners would be constantly on medication to stay eligible for the biggest events like the Olympics and world championships. That has troubled medical experts and ethicists, who have questioned the 'off-label' use of birth control pills for the purpose of sports eligibility. While Semenya is the only athlete currently challenging the regulations, three other women who have won Olympic medals — Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, Margaret Wambui of Kenya and Christine Mboma of Namibia — have also been sidelined by the rules. The issue came to a head at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when Semenya, Niyonsaba and Wambui won the gold, silver and bronze medals in the 800 meters when the rules were temporarily suspended. Supporters of the ban cited that result as evidence they had an insurmountable advantage over other women. World Athletics is now considering a total ban on DSD athletes like Semenya. Its president, Sebastian Coe, said in 2023 that up to 13 women in elite track and field fell under the rules without naming them. Track's DSD rules became a blueprint for other sports like swimming, another high-profile Olympic code that has regulations. Soccer is considering testosterone rules in women's competitions. Sex eligibility is a burning issue for the International Olympic Committee and new president, Kirsty Coventry, who was elected in March. It was brought into urgent focus for the IOC after a sex eligibility scandal erupted at last year's Paris Olympics over female boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Most sports will watch the direction of Semenya's case closely as it is sent back to the Swiss Supreme Court, and possibly to sport's highest court, even though that could take years. The ultimate outcome — whether a victory for Semenya or for World Athletics — would set a definitive precedent for sports because there has never been a case like it.
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Trending: Tweeps hate the fact that Caster Semenya was robbed of further glory, but happy she has been vindicated
South Africa's middle-distance athletics superstar Caster Semenya's name has finally been cleared and she can flex her muscles again. Caster Semenya has been vindicated with her banning now officially recognised as having been discriminatory: Netizens reacted: @TrackGazette Caster Semenya wins key ruling at the European Court of Human Rights! It was ruled that her right to a fair hearing was VIOLATED by the Swiss courts in her challenge against World Athletics' DSD rules. She won by a majority of 15-2. The ruling does not overturn World Athletics' DSD policy, but Semenya says the fight continues for other athletes. The 34-year-old has turned to coaching. Semenya is appealing against World Athletics regulations that female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) medically reduce their testosterone levels. Under World Athletics rules, female DSD athletes must lower their level of testosterone to below 2.5 nmol/L for at least six months to compete. This can be done medically or surgically. She was barred from competing since 2019. Prior to that, she won 2 Olympic Gold medals and 3 World Championships Gold. @mbali_ndlela Caster Semenya would have won more Olympic medals by now, they stole a part of her journey, but still, like dust, the Cobra will continue to rise. @Keemetswe30 The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour of Caster Semenya! Yhooo, I hope she sues world athletics for some big mooolaaaaaa @_uThabiso 'It is no longer about me fighting to compete, it is about fighting for what is right. Fighting for the upcoming generation, because there are a lot of kids that are affected by the same ruling. This battle will not finish now. We will fight until the end.' – Caster Semenya @Melo_Malebo Caster Semenya won the fight but her wife's loyalty was the real victory behind the scenes. @Only_Botake We are Caster Semenya and Caster Semenya is us.... Humanity is winning... @visse_ss Europe Tried to Destroy Caster Semenya. For years, a global conspiracy, led by World Athletics and backed by European sports institutions; waged war on a woman's body. Not because she cheated or doped. But because she was too powerful. Too fast. They told her to 'fix' what was natural. To become less, just to make Europeans feel comfortable. DAILY NEWS
