World Athletics, the top governing body in international track and field, released a proposal this week that, if adopted, would allow males to compete against females provided they artificially lower their testosterone levels ahead of competition.
The proposal, which has been sent to World Athletics’ member federations to be approved, states that the organization’s “preferred option” is for males to be permitted to compete against females so long as they artificially reduce their testosterone levels to 2.5 nanomoles per liter of blood, the Associated Press first reported.
The proposal is a tightening of existing policy, which allows transgender athletes to compete in the elite women’s division if they keep their testosterone levels below 5 nanomoles per liter for one year before competition.
The artificial lowering of testosterone in adulthood does not erase the physical advantages conferred by male puberty, such as increased bone density and muscle mass.
“The fact that World Athletics, one of the biggest, has not (put) its foot down, I think it is really, really upsetting,“British shot putter Amelia Strickler told the Telegraph. ”I am genuinely worried. This is my career.”
Many observers expected World Athletics to issue an outright ban on males competing against females after the world swimming body FINA reached that decision last year.
This year will mark the first time that the Miami Marathon will allow runners to compete in a “non-binary” division, accompanied by a host of awards including recognition for the top-three finishers in both the full and half marathon.
The move marks a change from the previous race structure, which lacked a dedicated division for runners who do not identify as men or women. Under that system, medals were reserved for “non-binary” winners in the full and half marathons but not for the top three non-binary finishers in each race.
Calla Hummel, a political science professor at the University of Miami, celebrated the announcement in comments to the Miami Herald, which first reported the development.
“It’s important for me that I’m able to register under my gender identity,” Hummel said. “There’s a lot of things in my life where I need to register, and the options are male or female. I do it every day, and it’s annoying and frustrating. So, it’s nice when I have an option that actually matches my gender identity.”
The Miami Marathon now joins the ranks of some 200 other major race organizers, including the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, and Berlin Marathon, which have a dedicated non-binary division.