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IOC advice on transgender athlete eligibility shifts focus from testosterone lev
From the ABC Posted Thu 18 Nov 2021
Aiming to help sports write eligibility rules for transgender athletes, the IOC has published advice that shifts the focus from individual testosterone levels and calls for evidence proving if a performance advantage existed.
No athlete should be excluded from competing based on an “unverified, alleged or perceived unfair competitive advantage due to their sex variations, physical appearance and/or transgender status”, the International Olympic Committee said.
The six-page document follows years of consultation with medical and human rights experts — and, since 2019, athletes directly affected — to help draft guidelines promoting fairness and inclusion.
The new guidance updates a 2015 review that set a limit on athletes’ permitted testosterone levels leading to treatments and procedures now described as “medically unnecessary”.
“Eligibility criteria have sometimes resulted in severe harm,” the IOC acknowledged in a briefing on the advice that also cautioned to avoid “invasive medical examinations”.
Prevention of harm is among 10 principles to guide future decision-making by sports officials. Others include non-discrimination, fairness, evidence-based decisions and protecting athlete privacy.
The IOC document is not legally binding yet clearly stated what it now expects from governing bodies responsible for regulating their own sports.
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