Hyperandrogenism and Athletics
This is not the first time an athlete has been questioned due to higher testosterone levels than normal. In recent years, the harrowing gender row has affected the likes of India’s Dutee Chand, who will be in Tokyo, and South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya.
While the latter forced the IAAF to bring about formal regulations with regards to testosterone levels, an incident involving Spain’s Maria Martinez-Patino, who was made to leave an Olympic team in the mid-1980s, led the IAAF to instead consider testosterone levels when deciding who was eligible to compete as a woman.
It was in 2014 that Dutee’s hyperandrogenism was first brought up by the AFI in compliance with the International Olympic Committee, leading to widespread criticism for them and also the IAAF, as this was seen as a breach of privacy and human rights.
Dutee, of course, appealed the decision and a year later in 2015, after the IAAF regulations had been suspended, she was…
