When does an advantage become unfair? Empirical and normative concerns in Semenya’s case

Abstract

There is a fundamental tension in many sports: human sex is not binary, but there are only two categories in which people can compete: male and female. Over the past 10 years, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) regulations have been at the centre of two notable legal disputes. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reached two contradictory rulings: in the first case (Dutee Chand vs Athletics Federation India and IAAF), the IAAF regulations for the eligibility of athletes to compete in the female category were suspended (24 July 2015) on grounds of "discrimination against the female category"; in the latter (Caster Semenya and Athletics South Africa vs IAAF), the regulations were reaffirmed (1 May 2019) on grounds that although discriminatory, they are necessary to maintain a "level playing field" and to “protect” the female category. Although Semenya’s case has paved the way for questioning existing gender norms in sport, a new stable norm has yet to emerge from her case. The pharmacological solution put forward by IAAF to the tension between fairness and inclusivity of bodies non-conforming to two sexes is not, however, the only possible solution/resolution to the case, as I aim to show in this paper. Here I present some reflections on this topic and suggest how CAS should approach the case if it hopes to resolve it.

Caster Semenya, athlete classification, and fair equality of opportunity in sport

“…10 Still, the DSD Regulations are exposed to stern criticism from several perspectives. [11][12][13] iii Arguments from Semenya and her team of lawyers sum up much of the criticism. The setting of thresholds is problematic and even arbitrary from a scientific point of view, the regulations build on essentialist and reductionist definitions of gender, they imply a violation against human rights, they lead to unfair discrimination and the required suppressive testosterone therapy can impose significant harm on the athletes affected.…”

“…In a recent comment, Camporesi notes that the discourse has been dominated by disagreements on how to interpret empirical data on testosterone levels and performance advantage, and not the underlying normative assumptions on gender and fairness. 1 I will attempt to fill some of this gap in the literature. More specifically, and based on what I take to be the normative rationale for athlete classification, I will provide conditional support of the IAAF position.…”

Hypogonadism in Exercising Males: Dysfunction or Adaptive-Regulatory Adjustment?

“…These authors did an exhaustive examination of the available research literature as well as the extensive database from the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) on athletes who have competed over many years at elite levels in track and field (i.e., athletics). (16,17). Nevertheless, and importantly though, the universal agreement does not currently exist in the world-wide medical community on what is precisely normal testosterone levels.…”

Uma análise axiológica dos projetos de lei sobre pessoas trans e esporte no Brasil

“…Embora o texto cite os procedimentos que são realizados pelas atletas mulheres trans para se readequarem ao gênero de identificação e às normas das Confederações para poderem participar das competições femininas de suas modalidades, afirma que já se está comprovado cientificamente pela medicina que todas as alterações promovidas no aparato morfofisiológico não se alteram completamente, trazendo como referência o discurso de Ana Paula, que não é médica ou fisiologista, mas sim uma ex-atleta de voleibol que demonstra forte conflito de interesse na temática. Vale lembrar que, até hoje, ainda não há consenso científico se atletas trans apresentam desempenho melhor que atletas cis em função do sexo biológico e dos efeitos da hormonização (Camporesi, 2019).…”

“…Certamente ela se beneficiou da testosterona até o momento da cirurgia e do tratamento hormonal". Essa consideração, entretanto, deve ser aprofundada e investigada de maneira mais terminante, pois até o presente, ainda é uma ideia controversa e não totalmente comprovada pela ciência, sendo, portanto, apenas um indício especulativo profícuo (Sőnksen et al, 2018;Camporesi, 2019;Devine, 2019).…”