PRETORIA, April - South Africa’s Sport and Recreation Minister Toko Xasa on Thursday said she was dismayed by the International Athletes Federation (IAAF) new regulations with regards to female testosterone guidelines.
“These Caster Semenya regulations are nothing but a continued attack on the persona of Caster Semenya, the South African golden girl,” said Xasa in reaction to the IAAF’s new Eligibility Regulations for Female Classification (Athlete with Differences of Sexual Development) for events from 400m to the mile, including 400m, hurdles races, 800m, 1,500m, one mile races and combined events over the same distances.
Xasa believes the new regulations will affect Semenya negatively in her participation as an athlete in the international arena.
“I call upon all South Africans to stand firm in opposing these Caster Semenya regulations as they are designed to disadvantage Caster in her career. South Africans and all progressive people of the world must unite and support Caster and all affected athletes in this regard,” said Xasa.
The South African ministry of sport and reaction said it will continuously engage the relevant bodies, and utilise all available avenues to ensure that Semenya and other athletes likely to be affected by the new regulations are allowed to participate “unhindered by measures to reduce their competitive edge”.
“Caster is not just an athlete to people of South Africa, she represents their hopes and aspirations. She is a pathfinder to the rural poor and downtrodden. She is an affirmation of black excellence. She undermines a stereotype that nothing good will ever come from the rural villages,” said Xasa.
Xasa sought to reassure Semenya that “she is not alone, the department of sport and recreation fully supports her”.
The new regulations require any athlete who has a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD) that means her levels of circulating testosterone (in serum) are five (5) nmol/L or above and who is androgen-sensitive to meet the following criteria to be eligible to compete in Restricted Events in an International Competition (or set a world record in a Restricted Event at competition that is not an International Competition):
(a) she must be recognised by law either as female or as intersex (or equivalent);
(b) she must reduce her blood testosterone level to below five (5) nmol/L for a continuous period of at least six months (eg., by use of hormonal contraceptives); and
(c) thereafter she must maintain her blood testosterone level below five (5) nmol/L continuously (ie: whether she is in competition or out of competition) for so long as she wishes to remain eligible.
These new regulations, approved by the IAAF Council in March, will come into effect from November 1, 2018, and replace the previous Regulations Governing Eligibility of Females with Hyperandrogenism to Compete in women’s competition, which no longer apply anywhere in the sport.
“We want athletes to have the incentive to make the huge commitment and sacrifice required to excel in the sport, and to inspire new generations to join the sport and aspire to the same excellence,” said IAAF president Sebastian Coe.
“As the International Federation for our sport, we have a responsibility to ensure a level playing field for athletes. Like many other sports we choose to have two classifications for our competition – men’s events and women’s events.
“This means we need to be clear about the competition criteria for these two categories. Our evidence and data show that testosterone, either naturally produced or artificially inserted into the body, provides significant performance advantages in female athletes.
“The revised rules are not about cheating, no athlete with a DSD has cheated, they are about levelling the playing field to ensure fair and meaningful competition in the sport of athletics where success is determined by talent, dedication and hard work rather than other contributing factors.”
Most females (including elite female athletes) have low levels of testosterone circulating naturally in their bodies (0.12 to 1.79 nmol/L in blood); while after puberty the normal male range is much higher (7.7 – 29.4 nmol/L).
No female would have serum levels of natural testosterone at 5 nmol/L or above unless they have DSD or a tumour.
Individuals with DSDs can have very high levels of natural testosterone, extending into and even beyond the normal male range.
The amended rule affects middle-distance runners who were believed to be hyperandrogenic, including Caster Semenya, Kenyan athlete Margaret Wambui and Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, who swept the podium in the 800m event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The IAAF had been widely accused by critics in recent weeks of victimising Semenya in particular with the imminent application of the new rule, as she excelled at the entire range of distances that were affected.
Though the athletics body had controversially opted not to apply the rule to strength-based disciplines such as the shot put and hammer throw, Coe said recently that a line had to be drawn in order to separate men’s and women’s divisions in competition.
Having struggled to find her best form between 2011 and 2015, with her natural testosterone levels apparently being suppressed by medication after she was subjected to gender tests in 2009, Semenya rocketed back into shape when the IAAF’s hyperandrogenism rule was provisionally suspended by the CAS three years ago.
She went on to win the Olympic 800m title in 2016 and the world title last year.
Semenya will be forced either to take medication to limit her body’s hormone production or step up in distance to the 5 000m event in order to sidestep the rule.
Semenya is a double Olympic champion in the women’s 800m, and recently completed a double-gold haul at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with victories in the 800m and 1500m.
- African News Agency (ANA)
