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Tag: governing body

Readers Roundtable: Transgender, Intersex, and What it Means to be a Woman Runner?

Readers Roundtable: Transgender, Intersex, and What it Means to be a Woman Runner?

Salty Posted by Salty on June 6, 2016

Caster Semenya at a recent competition.
Caster Semenya at a recent competition.

As a general rule, women have a natural disadvantage to men in running; the best women cannot compete with the best men. This is why women runners compete against other women and men against men. But when it comes to sex, the anatomy we’re born with, and gender, the social role we adopt, it’s not always clear that a person fits neatly into one of two boxes: man or woman.

The obvious case is transgender athletes: athletes who were born with the anatomy of one sex, but whose gender identity is aligned with the other, resulting in their transition from their sex at birth to the other. Transgender athletes may transition medically, surgically, or both. At what point is a transgender woman biologically woman enough to compete as a woman? In the past, governing bodies of sport have required surgery before a transwoman could compete in a women’s race. Recently, the International Olympic Committee has said it plans to move towards a ceiling of testosterone levels for women athletes, because higher levels of testosterone in men is the main reason men are generally faster than women runners.

But a ceiling on testosterone levels could knock some women out of international competition, women like Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand. Both were born with female genitalia, but also with rare genetic conditions that cause a natural elevation of their testosterone levels. This condition is generally known as intersex. Recent rulings by the international governing body of track and field, IAAF, have allowed Caster Semenya to compete without taking medication to block her testosterone levels and she has been dominating the international scene in the 800 meters. Should intersex athletes like Caster be allowed to compete in women’s races without taking testosterone blockers?

While it has yet to establish binding rules, the IOC has proposed that transgender women be allowed to compete in women’s competitions if their testoserone levels fall within a range typical of ciswomen and requires the same of intersex athletes, meaning the IOC would require intersex women to take medical or surgical steps to lower their testosterone or be forced to compete as men or not at all.

What say you? When should transwomen and intersex women be allowed to compete? 

Categories: Readers Roundtable
Tags: governing body, intersex, Olympics, transgender
What Is the USATF, Anyway?

What Is the USATF, Anyway?

Salty Posted by Salty on March 30, 2016

This USATF thing is certainly all over the running news, but every time we at Salty Running start talking about it behind the scenes we aren’t exactly sure how to take a stand because, well, USATF is complicated. We know it makes the rules in the USA for Track and Field; it measures race courses, puts on races, certifies track coaches, and has a handy route-mapping app on its website. Beyond that though, its definition, or what it does and what it is, is kind of fuzzy, like a bunch of letters swimming in a bowl of soup.

After weeks of the same conversations and repeated frustration over what the heck is going on at the USATF, I had enough. I bit the bullet and did some research to uncover the basics about the USATF. Read on after the jump to find out what USATF is, how it’s structured and how it relates to other big sports associations that are equally fuzzy. We’re going to keep this at a high level, but don’t worry! We’ll be back to dig deeper in future installments.  Read more >>

Categories: Elite & Pro Running, Running Community
Tags: governing body, Olympics, USATF
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