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Equally different

Jeanette Diergaardt and Rivaldo Kavanga

Namibian athletes Christine Mboma and Beatrice Massilingi have been breaking records with the Namibian nation cheering them on.

For many, to remain neutral about the current predicament of the two girls has been close to impossible. Dr Ben Viljoen, a sports physician, feels he is too close to the case to give any comment or answer questions, as he might break client confidentiality.

The coach of the two athletes, Henk Botha, has said that the girls are doing okay after the withdrawal of the athletes from the 400 metres and they are now focusing on the 100 metres and 200 metres. However, in a BBC article released on the same day My Zone spoke to the coach, Massilingi was quoted saying, "We won't be quiet, I'll say the support system is very strong at the moment. There is a lot of it going on… It's all over the world and seeing people against this rule and everything, which really means a lot. The love, the coaches, and everyone, it's just good."

Botha explained that he only received a call from World Athletics that the athletes should go for various tests, which included a gynaecological appointment to confirm that the two teenagers are in fact female.

After a blood test, the medical assessment concluded that their testosterone levels exceeded the limit set by the World Athletics policy on Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD).

The rules require that a female athlete’s blood testosterone levels be under 5 nmol/L (nanomoles per litre) to compete in certain women’s events. This excludes Beatrice and Christine from competing in the 400 metres at this year’s Olympics. According to World Athletics, this is done to ensure fair competition. Beatrice and Christine are still eligible to compete in the 100-metre and 200-metre events. Their ineligibility for the 400 metres has caused a stir, as many say the rules do not make sense.

Not alone

Beatrice and Christine are not the first black, African female athletes to be excluded by these rules. Caster Semenya of South Africa, Francine Ninyonsaba of Burundi, Kenyan distance runner Margaret Wambui, and Ugandan athlete Annet Negesa have also been barred from competing in the middle-distance Olympic events because of their naturally high testosterone levels.

Wambui has suggested in a BBC interview that a third category should be created for DSD athletes. Negesa has opted to surgically lower her testosterone levels, which at the end of the day caused her to not compete in distance running anymore. Semenya has taken her case to the European court of Human Rights. There has not been an official date released yet by the court. Wambui hopes that if Semenya wins, they will be able to compete in their original events in the 2024 Olympic Games.

In 2019, Semenya lost her case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. Mathieu Reeb, the director-general of the Court of Arbitration of Sport, said after her ruling, “The panel found that the regulations are discriminatory on the basis of the evidence submitted by the parties but the majority of the panel found that such discrimination is necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the IAAF objective of preserving the integrity of female athletes.”

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The science behind it

There are many differing opinions on the issue. Human rights activists and lawyers, as well as medical professionals, have raised concerns. There has also been scientific and social science research on the case of DSD athletes.

Testosterone is the sun that it all revolves around.

Testosterone is the primary sex hormone in males. It promotes secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle and bone mass. It is a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females.

The male sex hormones are also known as androgens. The Journal of Sex Research explains this phenomenon. The androgen capability in males and females differ tremendously. This is the determining factor in separating the two genders. Androgens give male athletes the ability to compete at the level they do. This hormone specifically gives athletes the ability to perform with more strength and endurance. The hormone also supplies more oxygen to the affected muscles.

The IAAF uses this fact to bar women with higher androgen levels from competing in the middle-distance events from 400 metres to the mile (1 600 metres).

However, women who have an androgen level higher than the average female can still not compete with the average man, according to an article in the Journal of Sex Research. This occurrence also does not make these DSD athletes less female or feminine.

FURTHER READING AND VIEWING

https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40094291?refreqid=excelsior%3A27228dc3d809ca49df50ec7b012a1e7e

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44014357

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57748135

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09gnyk7

https://apnews.com/article/namibia-africa-olympic-games-2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-f71b7d1e9f5ba0fbc08a1e0ab346c20b

https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=003-7021287-9471834&filename=Notification%20of%20the%20application%20Semenya%20v.%20Switzerland.pdf

https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=3d71ba69-d3db-4b61-800a-fcb333c89ad7.pdf&urlslug=Explanatory%20Notes%3A%20IAAF%20Eligibility%20Regulations%20for%20the%20Female%20Classification



INFOGRAPHIC

The Caster Semenya legal battles

1. Caster Semenya took part in the 2009 World Championships at the age of 18 years where the IAAF withdrew her from the athletics.

2. Semenya is cleared to continue with her athletics career.

3. In 2010 the IAAF sets a limit for female athletes who have a testosterone level above 10 nmol/L (nanomoles per litre). DSD athletes with levels higher than this are required to take medication to lower their testosterone levels or to surgically have these levels fixed.

4. In 2015, Indian sprinter Dutee Chand makes an appeal that forces the Court of Arbitration for Sport to rule that there is inadequate evidence to prove that increased levels of testosterone increase the female athlete’s capability. In addition, the court suspended the ruling and requested the IAAF to release more evidence.

5. In 2018, the IAAF released the ruling that prevents Mboma and Masilingi from competing in certain events when their testosterone levels are more than 5 nmol/L (nanomoles per litre), requiring these athletes to use testosterone-reducing drugs for a period of six months.

6. In 2019, Semenya takes her case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

7. On 18 February 2021, the case is lodged with the European Court of Human Rights.

8. On 17 March 2021, the case placed under the priority rule of the court.

9. On 3 May, the Swiss government received the notice from the court of human rights.

10. A statement is published on 25 May in French on the court’s site online.

Twitter raging

Namibians were furious about the decision by World Athletics not to allow Beatrice and Christine to participate in the 400 metres at the Tokyo Olympics. They took to social media to air their dissatisfaction and this is what they had to say on Twitter:

@rasmansa : Imagine telling a woman her body produces too much testosterone to allow her to compete in an event she's trained years for.

@bubbleybebe : transphobia harms everyone

@L_Matshall17 : The fact that black women are discriminated against on this level is beyond me, the mere fact a Cis-gendered black woman cannot compete is because her natural levels of testosterone is too high is blasphemy. Just say the girls can't keep up and go, I'm TIRED OF THE DISCRIMINATION

@MeliaRose99 : Testosterone levels too high, so they are unable to compete in something they've trained years for? Miss girl, what about hormonal disorders, PCOS, endometriosis? These are all valid and no one should be made to feel like this will effect/alter your abilities.

@firelordaimee : reminder that they do not test every single person and have notoriously singled out African runners just to be able to disqualify them on the grounds of having too many natural occurring hormones.

@jidebam : I don't think I'm going to watch the Olympics this year.

The Landless People's Movement (LPM) and the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) have also issued statements condemning the decision by the World Athletics.