The latest All About 75 Hard on transgender women athletes from elite women’s competitions will not only exclude trans women, but cis women with “higher than average” levels of testosterone. The policy from the governing body for international track and field goes into effect today, which also happens to be International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Christine Mboma’s coach, Henk Botha, says she will have to undergo hormone therapy, because her only other option is to quit the sport. The 19-year-old Namibian sprinter who won a silver medal in the 200 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is considered an athlete with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) by the global governing body of athletics, and the new rules require that she suppress her testosterone levels for six months before competing in any WA-sanctioned event.
The new testosterone threshold is less than 2.5 nanomoles per liter, which is half of the previously accepted level of 5 nanomoles.
Taking the issue to court isn’t an option for Mboma; Botha says they don’t have the funding to fight the ban in the legal system.
Botha remains optimistic about Mboma’s continued competitive success in the sport despite these new restrictions. He told The Namibian, “We know her situation, and we know that Christine has a tremendous amount of speed and that is not from testosterone levels.”
WA first put limitations on Mboma in 2021 when she set an unratified U20 world record and African senior record in the 400 meters, making her the seventh fastest women of all time in that event.
Following her win, she was forced to undergo “medical assessments,” and Mboma, who was 18 at the time, was found to produce enough natural testosterone to violate WA’s rules. She was given an ultimatum—the WA barred her from competing in events between 400 meters and one mile unless she agreed to take drugs to lower her natural testosterone. Either that, or choose a distance where the rule didn’t apply, like the 200 meters, which is what Mboma opted to do.
Not only will the ban make Mboma and other affected athletes ineligible to compete in upcoming major competitions including the Diamond League series and the World Championships, but there are potential health risks and side effects associated with hormone therapy. South African 800-meter runner Caster Semenya was forced into taking hormone suppressants between 2010-2015, according to The Namibian, and she reported feeling sick, gaining weight, and having panic attacks. ban from World Athletics, “It’s like stabbing yourself with a knife every day. But I had no choice.”
In a statement, Athletics Namibia expressed support for Mboma, saying, “AN is disappointed that athletes are being required to change their natural conditions to be eligible to compete.” Regulators from AN say they will petition WA to reconsider these new regulations.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Advertisement - Continue Reading Below, Are Average Runners Getting Faster? It Depends, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
