"Whether someone is a woman or someone is a man or perhaps somewhere in between, is a very complicated thing," Harper says. Harper, author of a forthcoming book entitled Sporting Gender: the History, Science and Stories of Transgender and Intersex Athletes, argues that the rules should not be seen as stripping a female athlete of her identity. Harper says, "We separate male athletes and female athletes not on the basis of gender identity, or legal sex, or how people are identified at birth, but rather on biological characteristics that make men so much better at sport than women." We separate male athletes and female athletes not on the basis of gender identity, or legal sex, or how people are identified at birth, but rather on biological characteristics that make men so much better at sport than women. She's fighting rules that affect DSD athletes who have what are typically male XY chromosomes, who were born with internal testes and who have testosterone levels higher than the typical female range. "It's really difficult to support a rule that seems to be based more on a preconceived idea of what a woman should be, rather than who a woman is," he says.Ĭaster Semenya was raised as a female and is legally female. Vilain, who testified as an expert witness on Caster Semenya's behalf, explains that the biology of sex classification is anything but straightforward there can be a wide spectrum of variations. Eric Vilain, a geneticist who specializes in the study of sexual development at Children's National Health System and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.ĭr.
"People think that it's simple to define sex. These individuals are also known as intersex. The IAAF regulations apply to certain athletes with what are known as Differences of Sex Development, or DSDs, which means they were born with anatomy that doesn't neatly fit into the binary, male or female categories. It's really difficult to support a rule that seems to be based more on a preconceived idea of what a woman should be, rather than who a woman is. Just two days after losing that court fight, Semenya took to the track in the Diamond League championships in Doha, Qatar, and blistered past the competition in her marquee event, the 800 meters. That ruling upheld regulations that will require some female track athletes with naturally-elevated testosterone levels to lower those levels with drugs or surgery, if they want to compete in certain women's events on the international stage. She is asking the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to throw out a ruling issued earlier this month by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS, which is based in Lausanne. Semenya, 28, is a two-time gold medalist in the 800 meter event. It's the latest chapter in a fight that's gone on for years, and that raises thorny questions about fairness and ethics in sport. This week, the Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya of South Africa filed an appeal in a case that hinges on her right to compete as a woman. Semenya has appealed a ruling that requires her to reduce her testosterone levels by drugs or surgery. While outside lanes might have a small advantage over the first 100 meters, runners who have an established position on the inside of the track seem to have an overall advantage.Caster Semenya of South Africa races to the line to win the Women's 800 meters during the IAAF Diamond League event at the Khalifa International Stadium on in Doha, Qatar. I found that racers who start at the very inside lanes ran the fastest times. As they do this, they may have to run a tiny bit farther than their competitors and jockey for position with runners who are already in the inside lanes. Since the inside lane of a track covers the shortest distance, runners in outside lanes move inward after the break.
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It has what is called a “lane break,” which is where runners must remain in their assigned lanes for the first 100 meters but are then free to run in any lane they wish. The last event I looked at, the 800, is distinct from the other events above. But what is impressive about Van Niekerk’s win is that he was one of the slower runners to qualify for the final-that’s why he was assigned to one of the “least desirable” lanes.
The astonishment stemmed from the belief that lane eight puts runners at a disadvantage. In the 2016 Olympics, people marveled when Wayde Van Niekerk won the 400 final from lane eight, the farthest outside lane.
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