Latest news with #gendertesting
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
European court to rule in Semenya sports gender case
A top European court will decide Thursday whether double Olympic champion Caster Semenya can be required to lower her testosterone levels to compete as a woman, in a key decision on contested gender testing. The European Court of Human Rights' decision comes after a row engulfed the 2024 Paris Olympics over the gender of an Algerian boxing champion. South African runner Semenya, 34, was the Olympic 800m champion in 2012 and 2016 and world gold medallist in 2009, 2011 and 2017. She is classed as having "differences in sexual development", but has always been legally identified as female. Semenya has refused to take drugs to reduce testosterone levels since World Athletics, track and field's governing body, introduced new rules on women competitors in 2018. So, she has since been barred from competing in her favoured 800m. Semenya has said she hopes the ECHR will protect athletes' human rights and "inspire all young women to be and accept themselves in all their diversity". Antoine Duval, a sports law expert at the Asser Institute in The Hague said the case would "determine what comes next in terms of challenging the rules for access to women's competitions". Semenya has already tried other tribunals to try to change the rules. The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against her in 2019 and the decision was validated by the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne in 2020. It judged that a testosterone level comparable to that of men gave female athletes "an insurmountable advantage". - 'Human guinea pig' - The ECHR in 2023 ruled that Semenya was the victim of discrimination by the CAS. Swiss authorities, supported by World Athletics, appealed to the European court's 17-member Grand Chamber. The ECHR decision was however largely symbolic as it did not call into question the World Athletics ruling nor allow Semenya to return to competition without taking medication. There are many types of "differences in sexual development", a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Formerly known as intersexuality, they occur in approximately one in 1,000 to 4,500 births. Before the 2009 world championships, where Semenya won the 800m gold aged just 18, she was forced to undergo gender testing. She was subsequently put on medication to reduce testosterone levels, spending several months sidelined by World Athletics. Semenya, born with the "46 XY" chromosome rather than the XX chromosome most females have, said she felt she was being treated like a "human guinea pig" and vowed to never again allow it. Testosterone is produced by men and women, but men produce 20 times more of the sex hormone. How much the hormone boosts performance remains a matter of debate. - 'Degrading' - The International Olympic Committee is weighing reintroducing gender testing, while several sports have already embraced the practice. World Athletics and World Boxing have adopted chromosomal testing -- generally a cheek swab to check for the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome. World Aquatics in 2023 adopted a policy that foresees such testing. Supporters say such screening simplifies access to women's competition, and UN rapporteur Reem Alsalem has said such tests are "reliable and non-invasive". But Madeleine Pape, a sociologist of gender in sport, says there is a lack of research proving that transgender athletes or those with one of the many forms of DSD gain a "disproportionate advantage" over XX competitors. Human Rights Watch has argued that World Athletics regulations "are degrading and invasive of privacy, on grounds that are scientifically contested". The gender debate reignited in June around Paris Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif. Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling were among those who stoked a row over the Algerian's gender. bur-pau-ah/jh
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
European court to rule in Semenya sports gender case
Caster Semenya has always been legally identified as female (Frederick FLORIN) A top European court will decide Thursday whether double Olympic champion Caster Semenya can be required to lower her testosterone levels to compete as a woman, in a key decision on contested gender testing. The European Court of Human Rights' decision comes after a row engulfed the 2024 Paris Olympics over the gender of an Algerian boxing champion. Advertisement South African runner Semenya, 34, was the Olympic 800m champion in 2012 and 2016 and world gold medallist in 2009, 2011 and 2017. She is classed as having "differences in sexual development", but has always been legally identified as female. Semenya has refused to take drugs to reduce testosterone levels since World Athletics, track and field's governing body, introduced new rules on women competitors in 2018. So, she has since been barred from competing in her favoured 800m. Semenya has said she hopes the ECHR will protect athletes' human rights and "inspire all young women to be and accept themselves in all their diversity". Advertisement Antoine Duval, a sports law expert at the Asser Institute in The Hague said the case would "determine what comes next in terms of challenging the rules for access to women's competitions". Semenya has already tried other tribunals to try to change the rules. The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against her in 2019 and the decision was validated by the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne in 2020. It judged that a testosterone level comparable to that of men gave female athletes "an insurmountable advantage". - 'Human guinea pig' - The ECHR in 2023 ruled that Semenya was the victim of discrimination by the CAS. Advertisement Swiss authorities, supported by World Athletics, appealed to the European court's 17-member Grand Chamber. The ECHR decision was however largely symbolic as it did not call into question the World Athletics ruling nor allow Semenya to return to competition without taking medication. There are many types of "differences in sexual development", a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Formerly known as intersexuality, they occur in approximately one in 1,000 to 4,500 births. Before the 2009 world championships, where Semenya won the 800m gold aged just 18, she was forced to undergo gender testing. Advertisement She was subsequently put on medication to reduce testosterone levels, spending several months sidelined by World Athletics. Semenya, born with the "46 XY" chromosome rather than the XX chromosome most females have, said she felt she was being treated like a "human guinea pig" and vowed to never again allow it. Testosterone is produced by men and women, but men produce 20 times more of the sex hormone. How much the hormone boosts performance remains a matter of debate. - 'Degrading' - The International Olympic Committee is weighing reintroducing gender testing, while several sports have already embraced the practice. Advertisement World Athletics and World Boxing have adopted chromosomal testing -- generally a cheek swab to check for the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome. World Aquatics in 2023 adopted a policy that foresees such testing. Supporters say such screening simplifies access to women's competition, and UN rapporteur Reem Alsalem has said such tests are "reliable and non-invasive". But Madeleine Pape, a sociologist of gender in sport, says there is a lack of research proving that transgender athletes or those with one of the many forms of DSD gain a "disproportionate advantage" over XX competitors. Advertisement Human Rights Watch has argued that World Athletics regulations "are degrading and invasive of privacy, on grounds that are scientifically contested". The gender debate reignited in June around Paris Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif. Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling were among those who stoked a row over the Algerian's gender. bur-pau-ah/jh
Malay Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Beyond Paris 2024: Why Olympic gender testing could change women's sports forever
The IOC is considering reintroducing chromosome-based gender testing as sports bodies move to tighten eligibility rules for women's events. Critics argue these tests are scientifically flawed and harmful, while supporters say they protect fairness in female competition. A key legal decision on DSD athlete Caster Semenya's case is expected in July, which could shape the future of gender rules in global sport. LAUSANNE, June 22 — As the gender furore that engulfed boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics rumbles on, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is weighing reintroducing testing, while several sports have already embraced testing for male chromosomes. Such testing has its critics and the Olympics have already tried it once only to abandon it in 1996. Incoming president Kirsty Coventry, who will become the first woman to lead the Olympic movement when she starts her term on Monday, signalled a change of direction on this politically inflammatory and scientifically complex issue when she was elected in March. 'We will protect the female category and female athletes,' said Coventry, a Zimbabwean swimmer who won seven Olympic medals. At recent Games, the IOC has left responsibility for setting and enforcing gender rules to the international federations who run their sports. 'I want the IOC to take a little bit more of a leading role,' Coventry said, adding that she planned to create 'a task force.' Even before Coventry begins her consultations, World Athletics and World Boxing have adopted chromosomal testing – generally a cheek swab. World Aquatics in 2023 adopted a policy that foresees such testing. Their rules make participation in women's competition conditional on the absence of Y chromosome genetic material – known as the SRY gene, an indicator of masculinity. 'Non-invasive' Only 'XX athletes', as World Athletics calls them, can compete. Both transgender women and those who have always been considered female but have XY chromosomes – a form of 'differences in sex development' (DSD) – are excluded. On the surface, chromosomal screening simplifies access to women's competition, which has long been the subject of varied regulations and scientific and ethical debates. Last October, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, told the UN General Assembly that such tests were 'reliable and non-invasive.' The gender debate reignited in June around Paris Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif. Gold medallist Imane Khelif of Algeria holds up her medal during the victory ceremony for the women's 66kg boxing event at the Paris 2024 Olympics at Roland-Garros Stadium in Paris, France, August 9, 2024. — Reuters pic The Algerian was at the centre of a violent controversy over her gender last summer stoked by Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. World Boxing, which is taking over running Olympic boxing in Los Angeles in 2028, ordered Khelif to undergo testing before a competition in the Netherlands in early June. She skipped the event. During the Paris Games, the International Boxing Association, which was booted out of the Olympics by the IOC in 2019, accused Khelif, raised as a girl, of carrying XY chromosomes. Chromosomal screening attracts criticism, notably from the World Medical Association and human rights organisations. 'Highly invasive' 'It is far from being scientifically accurate as a performance indicator, while being very harmful to the athletes affected,' Madeleine Pape, a sociologist of gender in sport at the University of Lausanne, told AFP. While World Athletics and World Aquatics both say transgender women have a muscular advantage, Pape, who ran the 800m for Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, disagrees. She said there is a lack of research proving that transgender athletes or those with or one of the many forms of DSD gain a 'disproportionate advantage' over XX competitors. Explaining performance is so complex that this uncertainty applies to 'all athletes,' said Pape. She also said it was possible to have an XY chromosome while being 'totally or partially insensitive to testosterone,' as was the case with Spanish hurdler Maria Jose Martinez-Patino, who after missing out on the 1988 Olympics was the first woman to successfully challenge the femininity tests in court. Aware of these limitations, World Boxing and World Athletics are proposing additional steps after SRY screening which could include anatomical examination. 'Chromosomal tests seem very simple, very clean, but there is a lot of complexity behind them: potentially a highly invasive and non-standardised gynaecological examination, or expensive genetic sequencing that is inaccessible in many countries,' said Pape. Ultimately, the future of such tests could be decided in the courts. The European Court of Human Rights is expected to rule on July 10, for a second time, on the case of DSD athlete Caster Semenya, the double Olympic 800m champion. The South African was barred from competing under an earlier version of the World Athletics rules. In 2023, the court ruled that her rights had been infringed but that decision did not force WA to reinstate her. — AFP
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Imane Khelif goes missing after bombshell gender test leak
Imane Khelif will skip the Eindhoven Box Cup just a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian, along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting, was the focal point of an explosive gender row that dominated the 2024 Olympics in Paris last summer. Khelif fought at the Games 18 months after being banned from competing at the Women's World Championships for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test, The Sun reports. The alleged test administered by the International Boxing Association is said to have determined that both Khelif and Yu-Ting have male XY chromosomes. The pair, however, were permitted to compete by the IOC because of their female passport statuses, to the fury of many. Less than a year after the scandal, World Boxing announced all participants in competitions under their jurisdiction will have to undergo sex testing. And Khelif won't be in action at their first event since the announcement in Eindhoven having missed the deadline to register. 'The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it,' Eindhoven Cup media director Dirk Renders said. Mayor of Eindhoven Joren Dijsselbloem has blasted World Boxing's decision to implement mandatory sex testing. In a letter to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he said: 'As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. 'Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that. 'We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all.' Khelif won Algeria's first ever female gold medal in boxing at the Paris Games. The boxer was subjected to a torrent of abuse on social media after forcing Italy's Angele Carina to quit just 46 seconds into their opening bout. The stoppage of Carini sparked claims the gender eligibility test Khelif failed before the 2023 World Championships deemed her to be a 'biological male'. That alleged test, which was conducted in New Delhi, was recently published by 3 Wire Sports. The document claimed that chromosome analysis revealed a 'male karyotype'. A karotype is the set of chromosomes possessed by an individual. Khelif has yet to speak on the alleged report, but has maintained that she is a biological female from the outset. The Algerian has taken legal action against a number of prominent figures for alleged 'aggravated cyber-harassment', including Elon Musk and JK Rowling. The last ten months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for Khelif, who admits the ordeal has taken its toll. 'Immediately after, there was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, athletes around the world,' Khelif told El Birard. 'And even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump, this thing ... that affected me. 'I am not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. 'I can't describe to you the amount of fear I had. The scenario was very scary. 'Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will. 'Honestly, I don't like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. 'Sports and politics are two separate things. 'These politicians who are oppressing me, they don't have the right to say that I'm a transgender.'
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Imane Khelif SKIPS tournament just days after World Boxing announced that all fighters must undergo sex testing
Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup - just days after World Boxing introduced mandatory sex testing. The Algerian, who was at the heart of a gender row at the Paris Olympics alongside Thailand's Lin Yu-ting, has missed the registration deadline. Olympic chiefs were satisfied to let athletes compete based on the sex stated on their passport but World Boxing has introduced more exacting measures in recent days. Their new policy requires all athletes over the age of 18 to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete. Eindhoven Box Cup media director Dirk Renders said: 'The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it.' Mayor of Eindhoven Joren Dijsselbloem opposes World Boxing's ruling and recently wrote in a letter to them and the International Boxing Federation: 'As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. 'Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that. 'We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all.' Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association - the previous world governing body - for allegedly failing elgibility tests.
