World Athletics proposes new transgender eligibility rules

World Athletics has projected continuing to let transgender women to vie successful pistillate planetary way and tract events.

A argumentation papers suggesting the amendments has been sent to World Athletics' subordinate federations arsenic portion of a consultation process earlier a ballot successful March.

It comes contempt different sports banning transgender women from participating successful elite pistillate contention amid concerns they person an unfair advantage.

World Athletics has faced immoderate disapproval implicit its stance, but said it was "the champion mode to stitchery constructive feedback" and insisted a last determination had not yet been made.

Background

In June 2022 World Athletics president Lord Coe welcomed the determination by Fina - swimming's satellite governing assemblage - Fto halt trans athletes from competing successful women's elite races if they had gone done immoderate portion of the process of antheral puberty, insisting "fairness is non-negotiable".

Fina's determination followed a study by a taskforce of starring figures from the satellite of medicine, instrumentality and athletics that said that going done antheral puberty meant trans women retained a "relative show vantage implicit biologic females", adjacent aft medicine to trim testosterone.

Fina besides aimed to found an 'open' class astatine competitions, for swimmers whose sex individuality is antithetic than their commencement sex.

At the time, Coe hinted his athletics could travel suit: "We person ever believed that biology trumps sex and we volition proceed to reappraisal our regulations successful enactment with this."

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However successful argumentation documents seen by the BBC, World Athletics has present told subordinate federations that its "preferred option" is to let transgender women - and athletes with differences successful enactment improvement (DSD) such arsenic South Africa's Caster Semenya - to proceed to vie successful the pistillate class successful planetary way and field.

They would person to trim their magnitude of humor testosterone from the existent maximum of 5 nanomoles per litre to beneath 2.5, and enactment beneath this permitted threshold for 2 years alternatively than conscionable one, arsenic is the lawsuit now.

The connection would besides spot specified regularisation changes use to DSD athletes successful each way and tract discipline, alternatively than conscionable events ranging from 400m to a mile.

Studies person shown that antheral puberty results successful accrued musculus mass, bony density, changes to the signifier of the skeleton, and the haemoglobin levels, each of which are important contributors to performance.

Some sports scientists support that lowering the testosterone level has immoderate effect connected those systems, but is not complete, and show advantages implicit females tin beryllium retained.

In a statement, World Athletics said: "We volition travel the subject and the decennary and much of the probe we person successful this country successful bid to support the pistillate category, support fairness successful our competitions, and stay arsenic inclusive arsenic possible.

"In reviewing a fig of caller and existing studies and observations from the field, we person enactment guardant a preferred enactment for consultation with our subordinate federations.

"Once we person this feedback astatine the extremity of January, we volition consult, successful a targeted way, much widely.

"Putting guardant a preferred enactment is the champion mode to stitchery constructive feedback, but this does not mean this is the enactment that volition beryllium presented to Council oregon so adopted."

The suggested changes are successful enactment with amendments made past twelvemonth by the UCI, cycling's satellite governing body.

What has been the reaction?

However, World Athletics' connection has drawn disapproval from British changeable putter Amelia Strickler, who told the Telegraph: "If this happens I wouldn't beryllium amazed if we saw a batch of satellite records autumn to trans athletes.

"I americium genuinely worried," she added. "This is astir protecting women astatine the extremity of the day."

Meanwhile, British two-time European indoor 800m medallist Jamie Webb tweeted: "Lost a batch of religion successful the sport. Sad to see. Make the antheral class open. Male athletes won't beryllium affected whatsoever."

Last twelvemonth British Triathlon go the first British sporting body to found a caller 'open' class successful which transgender athletes tin compete. The Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union besides banned transgender women from competing successful female-only forms of their games.

It followed World Rugby becoming the archetypal planetary sports federation to accidental transgender women cannot vie astatine the elite and planetary level of the women's crippled successful 2020.

While specified moves person been praised for protecting pistillate sport, immoderate critics person said that these rules are discriminatory. Olympic diving champion Tom Daley said helium was "furious" astatine Fina's decision to halt transgender athletes from competing successful women's elite events, saying: "Anyone that's told that they can't vie oregon can't bash thing they emotion conscionable due to the fact that of who they are, it's not on."