Transwomen will not be allowed to compete in women’s athletics

The International Association of Athletics Federations banned transwomen from participating in competitions if they transitioned after puberty.

The ban will enter into force on March 31, 2023. Transwomen are now allowed to compete in international competitions if they have maintained a blood testosterone level below 2.5 nanomoles per liter for two years. However, transfeminine track and field athletes never made it to the international level. Therefore, the Association writes, it does not have “concrete evidence of their influence on the fairness of women’s athletics competitions.”

The association notes that before banning transwomen from competing, it consulted with country federations, the International Olympic Committee, coaches and athletes, as well as transwomen and human rights activists. Of them, “few” supported the option with maintaining a low testosterone level, writes the Association.

The Association will create a working group for further consultations on the admission of transfeminine track and field athletes to competitions.

• In June 2022, the International Sailing Federation introduced similar rules.
• American tennis player Renee Richards is considered the first known transfeminine athlete. In 1976, she was not allowed to participate in the women’s tournament of the USA championship, but already the following year, the court officially recognized Richards as a woman and decided to admit her to women’s competitions. At the end of 1977, she became the 22nd racket of the world. In 1981, Richards stopped competing, became a coach, and later returned to her career as an ophthalmologist.
• In 2021, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly trans woman to participate in the Olympic Games. At the Olympics, she failed to make a single successful attempt. After the Games, she ended her sports career.