Federal International Athletics Federation Makes Decision Regarding Transgender Athletes

On Thursday, March 23, the International Federation of Athletics agreed that transgender athletes will not be able to compete in the women's category in international events. The president of the federation, Sebastian Coe, stated that starting from March 31, transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty will not be allowed to participate in competitions that count towards the world rankings.

Additionally, Coe mentioned that the International Federation of Athletics consulted with all interested parties for a period of two months to make this decision, including "National Federations, the Global Academy of Athletics Coaches, the Athletes' Commission, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as representative groups for human and transgender rights."

"For many, the evidence that trans women do not maintain an advantage over biological women is insufficient. They want more evidence before considering the option of inclusion in the women's category," stated Coe, who also left the possibility of changing the negative stance in the future.

Related Cases

In 2019, the case of Caster Semenya (transgender) led the International Federation of Athletics (World Athletics) to establish in the regulations that transgender athletes who wanted to participate in the women's category had to keep their testosterone levels below five nanomoles per liter for one year.

This regulation had been denounced by Semenya, who is a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion in the 800 meters in her category, and who refuses to undergo hormonal treatment or surgery.