"Impact on Athletes: Examination of Fresh Sex Verification Policies and Their Consequences"
World Athletics, the governing body for international track and field, has recently introduced new regulations that aim to address the eligibility of athletes with differences in sex development (DSD) and transgender athletes in women's competitions. The new rules have sparked debate among scientists and athlete rights advocates, with concerns over their potential impact on athletes' rights and the accuracy of the tests being used.
One of the athletes affected by these new regulations is Ugandan middle distance runner Docus Ajok. In 2019, she was asked to take a testosterone test by her national federation under the directive of World Athletics (WA). As a result, she was barred from competing in 800m and 1500m races due to high testosterone levels found in her blood.
The new regulations state that "biological males" who have "not gone through male sexual development including any type of male puberty" are still eligible to compete in the female category. However, athletes who have gone through what World Athletics calls "male puberty" are prohibited from participating in women's world rankings competitions. The organization defines a "biological male" as someone with a Y chromosome and a "biological female" as someone with no Y chromosome, irrespective of their legal sex and/or gender identity.
Beginning from September 1, anyone wanting to compete in the "female category" of World Athletics' elite events will be required to take a "once-in-a-lifetime test" that will screen athletes' genetic samples for the SRY gene. This gene is a key gene on the Y sex chromosome that directs a developing embryo towards the male development pathway. Variations in SRY gene expression are just one of a wide range of variations in chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy that occur naturally in human development. People with these variations are sometimes known as intersex, and have traits that may not align with typical binary definitions of female or male.
The use of the SRY gene test has been criticized for its potential inaccuracies and the harm it may cause to athletes. Some scientists argue that there is limited evidence about the performance advantage someone with a DSD might have, and that the tests may not accurately determine an athlete's eligibility for competition. Athlete rights advocate Mitra stated that speculation around the results of athletes' tests is often highly publicized in the media, potentially causing harm to athletes.
The history of sex testing in athletics is not without controversy. In the mid 1960s, governing bodies began introducing sex tests to restrict some women from competitions, alleging without evidence that they were men. The first systematic sex tests took place at the 1966 European Athletics Championships in Budapest, where women underwent a visual examination of their genitals and secondary sexual features. This practice continued until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced Barr body testing in 1968, claiming it to be simpler, objective, and more dignified. However, the Barr body test is now criticized as inaccurate and harmful, failing to recognize the complexity of factors that determine sex.
The IAAF ended mandatory sex testing in 1992 and the IOC dropped blanket testing in 1999, but they continued to conduct medical evaluations on a case-by-case basis. Arne Ljungqvist, who served as chairman of the IOC's Medical Commission, stated that the Barr test was thought to distinguish between females (usually XX) and males (usually XY), but it sometimes doesn't when a DSD exists.
The new regulations prohibit athletes who have gone through male puberty from participating in women's world rankings competitions. Some leading scientists disagree with World Athletics' conclusions about the performance gap before the onset of puberty, and there is ongoing debate about the fairness and accuracy of the tests being used.
As the World Athletics Championships get underway in Tokyo, Japan, a raft of athletes will no longer be allowed to compete in the women's category due to these new regulations. The Ugandan athlete who will not be able to participate in the 2021 World Athletics Championships due to these regulations has not been explicitly named in the provided search results. The impact of these regulations on athletes' rights and the future of athletics remains to be seen.
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