Athlete Ally Responds to IAAF Delay on Testosterone Ruling
Today, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) announced they will delay their ruling on female athletes with natural testosterone until the Court of Arbitration for Sport has concluded the appeal case brought by Olympic champion Caster Semenya.
Athlete Ally, Women’s Sports Foundation and the global sports community have spoken loud and clear on the discriminatory implications of the IAAF’s proposed policy on female athletes with naturally occurring testosterone. Forcing female athletes to undergo medically unnecessary procedures in order to participate in the sports they’ve dedicated their lives to is harmful, and a human rights violation. There is also no conclusive scientific evidence proving that higher natural testosterone provides a competitive advantage, and many concerns have been raised on the validity of the data IAAF continues to cite.
We call for justice to prevail in not only Caster’s case, but for all female athletes who simply wish to compete as they are. We call on the IAAF to rescind this discriminatory ruling, and provide athletes with the safe, inclusive environment they rightly deserve.