Heightened restrictions on transgender athletes will be implemented at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, addressing the controversy surrounding their perceived advantages over female competitors, Breitbart reported.
The new regulations mandate that transgender athletes must have assumed their new gender identity before the age of 12, effectively excluding those who transitioned later in life from participating.
The move comes after debates erupted over instances such as Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand competing in women's weightlifting at the age of 43 during the 2021 games, marking her as the oldest competitor that year.
Previously, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had guidelines permitting transgender athletes to compete as women, provided their testosterone levels remained below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months before their initial competition.
However, the recent adjustments aim to prevent any perceived disadvantage to cisgender women in competitive events.
The World Athletics Council, the governing body for athletics, took a similar stance in March by prohibiting individuals who had passed puberty before transitioning from high-level female competition.
That decision was followed in 2022 by World Aquatics, previously known as FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation), the International Swimming Federation. Its revised policy allows trans swimmers to compete only if they underwent the transition before the age of 12.
Sebastian Coe, the president of the World Athletics Council and a two-time Olympic champion (1980 and 1984), emphasized the council's commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the female category, citing an "overriding need to protect the female category."
The president of World Aquatics echoed that sentiment, expressing the necessity of adopting a new "gender inclusion policy," the Washington Examiner reported.
James Pearce, a spokesperson for World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam, clarified the rationale behind the age restriction.
"This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12," Pearce said. "It's what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair.
"They're not saying everyone should transition by age 11; that's ridiculous. You can't transition by that age in most countries and, hopefully, you wouldn't be encouraged to. Basically, what they're saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage."
The Olympics, facing mounting pressure for equitable competition, is grappling with the challenge of addressing concerns over the biological advantages of transgender athletes. The evolving regulations seek to strike a balance between inclusion and maintaining a fair playing field for all competitors.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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