World Athletics don ban trans women to compete for female world ranking events

Lord Coe

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Lord Coe say di rules na to “protect di female category”

Di World Athletics don ban transgender women make dem no compete for di female category for international events.

Di governing bodi presido Lord Coe say no transgender athlete wey don go through puberty as boy go fit compete for female world ranking competitions from 31 March.

Dem dey plan arrange working group wey go torchlight research into how transgender eligibility go be.

Coe say, “we no dey tok no forever”.

Under di old rules, World athletics bin require transgender women to reduce dia amount of blood testosterone to max 5nmol/L and stay under dis maximum for 12 months back to back to fit compete for female category.

Lord Coe say di decision dey “guided by di overall principle wey be to protect di female category”.

E note say currently, no transgender athlete dey compete internationally for di sport.

“Decisions dey always hard wen dem dey conflict wit needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take di view say we must dey fair for female athletes above everi oda tin”, na wetin Lord Coe tok.

E add say, “we go dey guided in dis by di science around physical performance and male advantage wey go develop ova di coming years. As more evidence comot, we go review our position but we believe say di integrity of di female category in athletics dey paramount.”

Di Council agree to set up working group for 12 months to “further torchlight di mata of transgender inclusion”.

Na independent pesin go lead di group wey go get up to three council members, two athletes from Athletes’ Commission, one transgender athlete, three reps from World Athletics member federations and reps of World Athletics health and science department.

Dem go also consult specifically with transgender athletes plus review and commission research and give recommendation to di council.

DSD rules don change too

Di World Athletics Council don also vote to reduce di amount of blood testosterone wey dey permitted for athletes wey get difference for sex development (DSD) like South Africa Caster Semenya.

DSD na group of rare conditions wia a pesin hormones and genes and/or reproductive organs be mix of male and fenale characteristics. Some pipo wey get am dey prefer to dey called, “intersex”.

DSD athletes go dey required to reduce dia blood testosterone level to below 2.5 nanomoles per litre, down from five and e go need stay under dat for two years to fit compete internationally for female category for any track and field event.

Under di old rules, DSD athletes bin dey only restricted for events wey range for 400m to a mile.

Dem go introduce dis new provisions for DSD athletes wey don dey already compete for events wey dem bin no dey restrict, and e go require dem to suppress dia testosterone for di new rules level for minimum of six months before dem go fit compete again.

Coe say e go affect 13 DSD athletes as none of dem go fit compete for di World Athletics Championship for Budapest for August but dem go fit compete for future events like Paris 2024 Olympics if dem comply.

Semanya wey refuse to take di testosterone reducing medicine win 800m Olympic gold for 2012 and 2016, but since 2019, she neva compete for any event wen World Athletics bring those previous rules come.

Wetin be di rules for oda sports

ForJune 2022, Lord COe welcome di move by Fina wey be di swimming world governing bodi to stop transgender athletes from competing for women’s elite races if dem don go through any part of male puberty say “fairness dey non-negotiable”.

Fina also aim to establish ‘open’ category wia transgender athletes fit compete.

Di Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union also ban transgender women to compete for female only forms of dia games afta World Rugby bin place di ban for 2020.

Some critics don tok say dis rules dey discriminatory.

Olympic diving champion Tom Daley say e dey vex for Fina decision to stop transgender athletes to compete for women’s elite events say “anyone wey dem tell say e no fit compete or do something dem love because of who dem be, e no gel.”