World association decision: biological gender for athletes!

World association decision: biological gender for athletes!

Nanjing, China - The International World Athletics Association World Athletics has announced a fundamental change in the regulations for participating in competitions of women. From now on, all athletes have to prove that they were born biologically as women in order to be able to take part in official competitions. This regulation comes into force after a session of the World Athletics Council in Nanjing, China. Association President Sebastian Coe explained the measure, which is to be demonstrated by cheek smears or a dry blood test, as necessary to ensure confidence in the integrity of the competition. Coe emphasized that it is one -time, minimally invasive tests that are carried out by the athletes.

Since March 31, 2023, tightened provisions have already been inherently denying the transgender women who have experienced male puberty, access to competitions in the women's category. This decision is based on the results of a survey in which the majority of respondents were against the participation of transgender athletes in this category. Critics of the new regulations, such as Gabriel Nox Koenig from the Federal Association Trans* e.V., see these measures as a targeted exclusion of trans women and non-binary persons

ethics and integrity in the competition

The new regulations indicate the endeavor of World Athletics to protect the integrity of the competition more. The regulations not only affect transgender athletes, but also apply to women with natural variants of gender development, which have to reduce their testosterone values ​​to less than 2.5 nanomol per liter in order to be able to compete in the women's category. These provisions apply to all disciplines that range from running routes to jump and litter disciplines. In the past, prominent athletes such as Caster Semenya were affected by these provisions.

In the coming weeks, World Athletics will determine an official provider for the tests and plans to establish a working group led by a transgender person to observe future scientific developments. Coe has also indicated that a review of the rules in the future is not excluded.

reactions and outlook

The reactions to the new regulations are mixed. While some votes consider the measures necessary to ensure equal opportunities in the women's competition, critics express serious concerns about ethical implications and the possible effects on the sporting commitment of young transgender women. These changes are not only important for the athletes, but also cause the question of the responsibility of the sports associations when guaranteeing a fair competition.

In addition, the current situation of the Russian Athletics Association is pointed out. After the doping lock has been lifted, this remains excluded from competitions due to the political context in the Ukraine conflict. Developments in international sport show that a balance between fairness, integrity and inclusion remains a central challenge for sports associations such as World Athletics.

The complete information and updates to these regulations can be found in the reports of Oe24 dw and world .