PARIS, France, Mar 21 – Barring South African runner Caster Semenya from competition due to naturally high testosterone levels would be like excluding basketball players because they are too tall, experts commented Thursday, days before the top sports court is set to hand down a ruling.

Having unusually elevated levels of the hormone — known to boost muscle strength and bone mass — is not enough to make a world-class athlete like double Olympic champion Semenya, who has dominated the women’s 800 metres over the last decade, they argued.

The record for that distance was set in 1983 by a Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova, who has long been dogged by accusations of doping.

“To become a great athlete requires at least 10,000 hours of training, focus, discipline, timing, coaching, equipment, and strategy,” lead author Cara Tannenbaum, scientific director of the Institute of Gender and Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, told AFP.

“If we exclude women who have high testosterone levels from track events, will we then decide to exclude men who are extraordinarily tall from playing basketball?” she asked rhetorically.

“It would be unscientific to make decisions on exclusion for men or women based on a single genetic factor alone.”

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is seeking to force so-called “hyperandrogenic” athletes or those with “differences of sexual development” (DSD) to seek treatment to lower their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount if they wish to continue competing as women.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport is set to rule on capping testosterone levels in women athletes at five nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) of blood. On Thursday, the court put back the likely date of its decision “until the end of April” because both sides had filed additional material since the hearing in February.

In non-athletes, testosterone concentrations typically range between 9 and 31 nmol/L for boys and men, and from 0.4 to 2 nmol/L in girls and women, Tannenbaum noted.

But at least one study of elite track and field athletes tested after competition showed a far smaller gap — and even some overlap — between women and men, she pointed out.

For this and other reasons, setting a limit of 5 nmol/L was “arbitrary” and discriminatory, she wrote in the BMJ, a medical journal.

Semenya’s testosterone levels are not publically known.

But from 2011 to 2015, she took hormone suppressants to bring her below a 10 nmol/L limit imposed during those years, and would clearly need to do the same if the lower threshold were validated.

During that five-year period, her best times in the 800m were a second or two slower than before and after.

The athletics world championships in Doha start on September 28.

– A ‘protected space’ –

Responding to Tannenbaum’s editorial, the IAAF insisted that the 5 nmol/L limit “is not ‘arbitrary'”.

“Rather, it is based on a comprehensive survey of all reliable reported data,” athletics’ governing body told AFP.

In 2017, the British Journal of Sports Medicine study — commissioned by the IAAF — showed that women with higher testosterone levels turned in marginally better performances in the hammer throw, the pole vault, the 400m hurdles, as well as the 400m and 800m events.

Other experts support the IAAF ruling, saying it is justified on biological grounds.

“A profound increase in testosterone levels (at puberty) mediates not only male genital development but also greater muscle strength and skeletal growth compared with the female which is long lasting into young adulthood,” said Ieuan Hughes, a paediatric endocrinologist and emeritus professor at the University of Cambridge.

These are impacts “which sports physiologists recognise to be advantageous in highly competitive events,” he said in written comment.

Hughes challenged the accuracy of the study cited by Tannenbaum showing a male-female overlap in testosterone levels among top-level athletes, chalking up the results to “outliers”.

“Even the lowest testosterone value in men is four to five times greater than the highest value in the female range,” he said.

Chris Cooper, an emeritus professor of biochemistry in the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at the University of Essex, suggested “the current evidence is as good as we are going to get that both natural and doped testosterone levels enhance female sports performance”.

Cooper pointed out that a “special protected space for female sport” exists because there would otherwise be “no female winners” in most events.

Whether the IAAF rule is fair or “ethically right”, however, is a separate question, he suggested.

No matter how the CAS decide, a subset of women athletes will no doubt decry the decision as unjust.

%thecontent%%avatar%

%author%

%authornetworks%

%authordescription%

%authornetworks%

Comments

%sidebar%","opedarticle":"","sidead1":"ff","sidead2":"dd","sidead3":"","homestory":"

%title%

%game%%date%Read More--","taxonomyitem":"

%title%

%game%%date%Read More------","fixtureitem":"%name1%%score1%VS%score2%%name2%%time%","home":"rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn 1rn 2rn 3rn 4rn 5rn rn rn rn

Migne laments minimal government support

rn rn Footballrn rn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn Read Articlern rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrnrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

More Headlines

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Experts dispute testosterone test for top female athletesrn

rn rn Athleticsrn rn rn rn 8 minutes ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Ronaldo fined Sh2.3mn for mimicking Simeone celebrationrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 11 minutes ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Champions Cameroon among 21 seeking AFCON placesrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 3 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn ‘Unhappy’ Sanches considering leaving Bayern Munichrn

rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn 5 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Butler, Embiid star as Sixers rattle Celticsrn

rn rn Basketballrn rn rn rn 5 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

rn Gloomy return for Super Rugby after mosque attacksrn

rn rn Rugbyrn rn rn rn 10 hours ago rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnrn rn rn

Most Popular

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Athleticsrn rn rn rn rn IAAF spare our talented youth: Opinionrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn rn Nine-man Gor sail to Confed Cup quartersrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn rn Is Tuyisenge headed for the exit at Gor?rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn rn Sudan hits Kenya in U23 AFCON qualifierrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn rn Ozil slammed for reportedly inviting Erdogan to his weddingrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Rugbyrn rn rn rn rn Gangla elected new Kenya Rugby Union chairrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Golfrn rn rn rn rn Ngige earns Sh1.2mn at Magical Kenya openrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Athleticsrn rn rn rn rn Cheruiyot smashes Lisbon Half recordrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Footballrn rn rn rn rn I couldnu2019t sleep for four days u2013 Tuyisengern rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

All Sports

rn trn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Experts dispute testosterone test for top female athletes

rn rn rn Athleticsrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Ronaldo fined Sh2.3mn for mimicking Simeone celebration

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Champions Cameroon among 21 seeking AFCON places

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

‘Unhappy’ Sanches considering leaving Bayern Munich

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Butler, Embiid star as Sixers rattle Celtics

rn rn rn Basketballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Poll Question

rn rn ntnttnttntt

WILL GOR MAHIA ADVANCE TO CAF CONFEDERATION CUP QUARTERS?

ntt
• YES
ntt
• NO
ntt

View Results

ntnn Loading ...n rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Gloomy return for Super Rugby after mosque attacks

rn rn rn Rugbyrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Moroccan, Tunisian clubs on track for more CAF glory

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Horoya paired with Wydad after coaching upheaval

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Goretzka strike salvages a draw for new-look Germany

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn rn

Wales leave it late to beat Trinidad without Bale

rn rn rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn Read Morern rn rn rn rn rn --rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Load More Storiesrn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Sponsored

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn

Featured

rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Migne laments minimal government supportrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Prisons vball team in trouble for u2018sneakingu2019rn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Champions Cameroon among 21 teams seeking Cup of Nations placesrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn ‘Unhappy’ Sanches considering leaving Bayern Munichrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Is Tuyisenge headed for the exit at Gor?rn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rnrnttt","sidebar":"rn rn rntrn rn t

Most Popular

rn rn t rn t

rn tIAAF spare our talented youth: Opinionrn

rn Athleticsrn rn Saturday, 16th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tNine-man Gor sail to Confed Cup quartersrn

rn Footballrn rn Sunday, 17th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tIs Tuyisenge headed for the exit at Gor?rn

rn Footballrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tSudan hits Kenya in U23 AFCON qualifierrn

rn Footballrn rn Wednesday, 20th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tOzil slammed for reportedly inviting Erdogan to his weddingrn

rn Footballrn rn Monday, 18th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tGangla elected new Kenya Rugby Union chairrn

rn Rugbyrn rn Wednesday, 20th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tNgige earns Sh1.2mn at Magical Kenya openrn

rn Golfrn rn Sunday, 17th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tCheruiyot smashes Lisbon Half recordrn

rn Athleticsrn rn Sunday, 17th Mar 2019rn rn rn t

rn tI couldnu2019t sleep for four days u2013 Tuyisengern

rn Footballrn rn Monday, 18th Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn trn rn rnrn rn rn rn t

Featured

rn rn trn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Migne laments minimal government supportrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Prisons vball team in trouble for u2018sneakingu2019rn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn Champions Cameroon among 21 teams seeking Cup of Nations placesrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn AGENCE FRANCE PRESSErn ‘Unhappy’ Sanches considering leaving Bayern Munichrn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rnrn rn rn rn rn Timothy Olobulurn Is Tuyisenge headed for the exit at Gor?rn rn rn Viewrn rn Thursday, 21st Mar 2019rn rn rn rn rn rn rn trn rn rn rn","articleerror":"

Oops...Something broke on our end

"},"messages":{"accessdenied":"Access to the account has been denied ","httperror":"Oops, something went wrong...please try again","contactgoogle":"Contacting Google","firsttime":"Seems this is your first time with this signin system. Please wait as we get your name","signinsuccess":"Cool. You're now signed in. This signin will close automatically now","pendingrequest":"Still communicating with the server","signedout":"Seems you were signed out. Try submitting again after you've been signed in","trackingerror":"Couldn't track Analytics","xhrnotconfigured":"To webmaster: Please confirm the xhr/ajax receptor is configured on the server","loadmore":"Load more stories"}}; /* ]]> */