what's FAIR about this playing field?

[cods]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport ... afcc6bea8b

Next month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland will deliver its verdict on the murky legal case between the South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

It’s the most complex and controversial proceeding that CAS has ever had to adjudicate on because the ruling could have far reaching implications that go way beyond athletics.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe outlined to The Saturday Telegraph in an exclusive interview his fears that if Semenya wins her case it would change women’s sport forever.

At the heart of the debate is whether sporting bodies can and should draw a line on intersex, transgender and Difference of Sexual Development (DSD) athletes competing in women’s sport.

Coe admits opinions are deeply divided because the stakes are so high for women’s sport.

“It is a very, very simple principle, it’s the protection of fair competition and fair play,” Coe said.

“The reason we have gender classifications is because if you didn’t then no woman would ever win another title or another medal or break another record in our sport.”

Citing scientific research, the IAAF maintains that athletes who identify as female but have testes, and testosterone levels in the male range, have an unfair physical advantage so the association recently introduced new rules for athletes wanting to be classified as female competitors.

The new regulations, currently on hold pending the outcome of the case, stipulate that athletes with testosterone levels above the ‘normal’ range for women have to artificially reduce their testosterone levels from 10 nanomoles per litre to five in order to compete as females.

Despite being labelled as being politically incorrect, the IAAF is pushing ahead regardless, fearful that the floodgates will open to intersex, DSD and transgender athletes dominating women’s sport if the limits are not upheld.

The signs of what may come should the IAAF lose the case are already there.

Last year, and again last month, two transgender teenagers in the United States who were born male but now identify as female, won state athletic titles in Connecticut, competing against girls.

A third of states in the U.S. now allow transgender athletes to compete at high school level without limitations but it’s only just become a hot issue after some girls who were beaten missed out on getting college scholarships.

There are also countries now actively looking for youths who have the same rare condition as Semenya, known as hyperandrogenism, in order to fast track them into athletics should CAS rule in her favour.

“We have some evidence that some of the athletes representatives have been looking for athletes with that condition,” Coe said.

“I think there’s an inevitability about that so for us this is a very simple thing, it not about nationality, it’s not an individual thing, it’s not about a continent or a country.

“It is simply that as an international federation you have a responsibility to protect the sanctity of fair competition and fair play.”
Semenya, the double Olympic champion for 800m, disagrees, arguing that the regulations are racist and sexist so she has appealed to CAS to have the rule on hormone levels overturned.

Unbeatable on the track, the muscle-packed Semenya says it’s unfair that she should be forced to take medication to reduce naturally occurring testosterone levels while her lawyers contend that her “genetic gift should be celebrated, not discriminated against.”

Semenya has also got the backing of human rights groups and women’s liberationists, including tennis legend Billie Jean King, who tweeted: “My friend Caster Semenya is unequivocally female. Forcing women w/naturally high testosterone to give up ownership of their bodies & take drugs to compete in sport is barbaric, dangerous, and discriminatory. I stand behind her and hope she prevails.”

The hearing was held over five days in Lausanne and now the sporting world is holding its breath for the outcome.

Other sporting bodies are all paying close attention, including the International Olympic Committee, which has delayed announcing its testosterone levels for transgender athletes at the next year’s Tokyo Games until the Semenya case is decided, amid speculation that it might eventually be forced to add a third gender category to the Olympics.




what parents would encourage and pay for their daughters to aspire as an athlete under these circumstances.......

[freediver]

If you insist on abandoning the gender divide then women's sports will have to go with it.

[cods]

why WOMENS though...seems a bit unbalanced doesnt it.?

is there such a thing as a female tranny?...or is it strictly males only?..

its weird a female who believes shes male takes hormones to grow a beard.....she is called gay..not tranny...

at the end of the day she cant perform as a man....so she is still a female who looks like a male but fancies females..

male trannies cant perform as a women...they cannot give birth....do they have their manly parts removed????????

testerone produced muscle muscle produces strength....

yes your right good bye womens sport...

when young women are losing sporting scholarships because of trannies........someone needs to bring some commonsense into this..

[sprintcyclist]

................. “It is a very, very simple principle, it’s the protection of fair competition and fair play,” Coe said.

“The reason we have gender classifications is because if you didn’t then no woman would ever win another title or another medal or break another record in our sport.”

Citing scientific research, the IAAF maintains that athletes who identify as female but have testes, and testosterone levels in the male range, have an unfair physical advantage ................

[Black Orchid]

Citing scientific research, the IAAF maintains that athletes who identify as female but have testes, and testosterone levels in the male range, have an unfair physical advantage ................

And are not women!

[Gordon]

This needs to be allowed to run it's course (no pun intended).

Anyone who speaks out against this is labeled transphobic and the only way something will happen is when women are losing on the playing fields to chicks with dicks.

[cods]

This needs to be allowed to run it's course (no pun intended).

Anyone who speaks out against this is labeled transphobic and the only way something will happen is when women are losing on the playing fields to chicks with dicks.

meanwhile in Switzerland a group of probably men are deciding if they DARE find against a minority


why is Semenya claiming its RACIST if they go ahead with this...

did you read where she/he has the backing of Human Rights and womens liberationists do they mean feminists?

its bizarre!

[sprintcyclist]

[cods]

if she wins this case thats what all winner of womens sport will look like..

I am not sure how many it will fool