“Semenya case”: Strong criticism of the testosterone rule

In the renowned British specialist magazine BMJ Two doctors clearly criticized the IAAF's plan to introduce a testosterone limit for women of five nanomoles per liter for certain distances (400 m to mile). Semenya is currently taking action against this before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). A verdict is due to be made by March 26th.

The two doctors said according to the English daily newspaper The Guardian , the IAAF's assumption that testosterone is the main indicator of the gender and performance of athletes contradicts the current state of scientific research. “Men usually have higher testosterone levels than women - but not always. The hormone level in the blood depends on a variety of factors. For example, age, state of health or stress,” explained Dr. Sheree Bekker from the University of Bath: "Because of this, there may be overlaps in testosterone concentrations in the blood of men and women, particularly in athletes."

“Will we ever get to a point where we ban tall people from playing basketball or ban swimmers with long arms?” Dr. Sheree Becker What we are currently seeing is a surveillance of the female body, problematically justified with reference to fair play or the protection of other women. “We don’t need to be protected from other women like men don’t need to be protected from other men,” said Bekker. “Will we ever get to a point where we ban tall people from playing basketball or ban swimmers with long arms? These are natural benefits.”

The IAAF had already suffered defeat at the CAS in 2015 and was then given two years to provide scientific evidence for the introduction of a limit value. The association is now citing a study from 2017, according to which female athletes with increased testosterone levels are said to have an advantage of up to 4,5 percent on certain routes. However, there is also harsh criticism of this study because around a third of the values included are said to have been incorrect.

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“Semenya case”: Strong criticism of the testosterone rule

The South African 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya has received further support from science in her fight against the controversial “testosterone rule” of the IAAF.

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