World Athletics proposes stricter restrictions on transgender women athletes

Over the weekend World Athletics consulted with its member federations and said that it is looking to impose stricter and more stringent restrictions on transgender women athletes competing in track and field events.

World Athletics has raised controversy following the recent developments over its stance on transgender women athletes. After consulting with its member federations, the world governing body on athletics has stated that it is looking to impose stronger and stricter testosterone limits on transgender women athletes who compete in track and field events, making it less inaccessible.

World Athletics says that it has reviewed a number of number of new and existing scientific studies and observations from this field. The irony is that the governing body’s solution to the problem just stops short of calling an outright ban on trans athletes while claiming that the stringent limits on testosterone levels is its ‘preferred solution.’

With that being said, World Athletics continues to maintain that no final decision has been taken on the matter after The Telegraph media first reported the discussions being tabled.

"Putting forward a preferred option is the best way to gather constructive feedback, but this does not mean this is the option that will be presented to Council or indeed adopted," World Athletics said in a statement.

The option that World Athletics are talking about will end up putting an upper cap on the amount of plasma testosterone for transgender women. The athletes who do not have differences in sex development (DSD) at 2.5 nanomoles per liter - half of the current limit of 5 nanomoles - will be affected by the outcome of this development.

It is also expected to double the amount of time the athlete would need to remain below that level to two years. World Athletics, however, accepts that this will not result in a level playing field because “the preferred option would allow significant (although not full) reduction in anaerobic, aerobic and body composition changes”.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the final decision over this proposal will take place in March.

Back in June 2022, World Athletics and FIFA, the governing body of football, had announced that they would be reviewing their current transgender eligibility policies. This development came in the light of the swimming world body FINA’s new rules banning participation of transgender swimmers in women’s events.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was quick to praise FINA’s decision even though it attracted plenty of criticism from supporters of transgender’s rights. Coe has previously also maintained that trans women and athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), who are 46 XY with male testes but were reported female at birth, should only compete in female sport if the science shows it is fair. “Biology trumps identity,” he said in the summer. “If we ever get pushed into a corner to that point where we’re making a judgment about fairness or inclusion, I will always fall down on the side of fairness.”

British shot putter Amelia Strickler has spoken out against this development and hinted it as a grave outcome. “I hope more of us band together to prevent this because it is going to be the end.”

Strickler’s idea was also supported by two-time European indoor 800m medallist Jamie Webb who tweeted an alternative solution, “With this and other things, I’ve lost a lot of faith in the sport. Sad to see. Make the male category open. Male athletes won’t be affected whatsoever.”

Advocates for transgender athletes also add that there are relatively few trans women athletes and that not enough studies have been done on the impact of transition on physical performance.