IAAF ruling will force Caster Semenya to reduce her testosterone levels

Controversy | Caster Semenya after winning 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games
Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Athletics chiefs are confident they will not face legal action over controversial plans which will force some runners, such as Caster Semenya, to take medication to reduce their testosterone levels if they want to compete in middle-distance events.

On Thursday, the IAAF will announce a rule change which will affect athletes with hyperandrogenism such as Semenya, a double Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion for the 800metres.

The ruling follows research commissioned by the IAAF into the performance advantage of female athletes with high levels of naturally occurring testosterone.

It means Semenya will either have to take prescribed medication to compete at her event or move to longer-distance running and she had alluded to the latter while competing at this month’s Commonwealth Games where she won double gold.

Thursday’s ruling, which is expected to be implemented by November, comes after two pieces of research commissioned by the IAAF.

The first headed by Stephane Bermon at the Monaco Institute of Sports Medicine and Surgery in conjunction with IAAF director of health and science Dr Pierre-Yves Garnier, examined the performances of 1,332 women at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships.

It showed those with naturally high-occurring testosterone levels enjoyed an advantage of between 1.8 and 4.5 per cent over their rivals.

In the 800metres, Semenya’s No1 event, the advantage was 1.8 per cent while over 400m athletes were able to go 2.7 per cent faster.

While the figures appear low, the difference is notable in events often decided by mere fractions of a second. Over the longer distances to which Semenya may now look, such as the 5,000m and the 10,000m, the IAAF could not argue with their evidence that there was a sufficient advantage, although further research is expected.

Bermon described his study as “new evidence of the performance-enhancing effects of androgents in elite female athletes”, in effect the first time proof has been found of the long-suspected advantage of having naturally higher testosterone levels.

The IAAF previously imposed similar medical regulations in 2011 although that decision was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration four years later following a case brought by the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand.

She argued successfully she could continue to compete with her naturally high levels of testosterone. In effect, CAS told the IAAF they had to go back to the drawing board and provide research and data to prove the advantage in both track and field events.

Semenya is the most high profile and successful athlete with hyperandrogenism and the South African is giving the IAAF a complex and emotionally- charged debate to resolve, with president Sebastian Coe trying to find “a level playing field”.

Speaking at last month’s IAAF Council meeting, Coe said: “It is clear that this is one of the toughest subjects this council and I have been discussing. This is not about cheating as no athletes have cheated.

“This is about our responsibility to ensure a level playing field.

“We draw the lines at two classifications for our competitions, men’s events and women’s events.

“This means we need to be clear about competition criteria for those two categories.”

The advantages of testosterone are varied. It boosts oxygen capacity in the blood, builds muscle mass and increases aggression.

The IAAF research is likely to have a wider sporting impact with the International Olympic Committee also set to react to the findings by cutting the allowed levels of testosterone in female athletes to be in place in the lead-up to the next Games in Tokyo in two years’ time.

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