Related items

• World Athletics votes to restrict transgender athletes from competing against females; tighter restrictions for DSD athletes

  The World Athletics Council agreed to update the eligibility regulations for transgender and DSD athletes to compete in the female category.

  For DSD athletes, the new regulations will require any relevant athletes to reduce their testosterone levels below a limit of 2.5 nmol/L for a minimum of 24 months to compete internationally in the female category in any event, not just the events that were restricted (400m to one mile) under the previous regulations.

  The principle of restricted events has been removed from the regulations.

  Interim provisions will be introduced for those relevant athletes who are already competing in what were the unrestricted events (distances below 400m and above one mile, plus field events). These provisions include a requirement to suppress their testosterone levels below 2.5nmol/L for a minimum of six months, before they are eligible to compete again.

  The six months period is consistent with the previous regulations, which required six months of testosterone suppression (below 5nmol/L) for DSD athletes to compete in the restricted events. The interim provisions do not apply to the previously restricted events (400m to one mile) where two years of testosterone suppression will be required before the relevant athlete is eligible to compete.

  These regulations will come into effect on 31 March 2023.

  In regard to transgender athletes, the Council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition from 31 March 2023.

  World Athletics conducted a consultation period with various stakeholders in the first two months of this year, including Member Federations, the Global Athletics Coaches Academy and Athletes’ Commission, the IOC as well as representative transgender and human rights groups.

  It became apparent that there was little support within the sport for the option that was first presented to stakeholders, which required transgender athletes to maintain their testosterone levels below 2.5nmol/L for 24 months to be eligible to compete internationally in the female category.

  In terms of DSD regulations, World Athletics has more than ten years of research and evidence of the physical advantages that these athletes bring to the female category.

  However, there are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics and consequently no athletics-specific evidence of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female competition in athletics.

  In these circumstances, the Council decided to prioritise fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion.

  However the Council agreed to set up a Working Group for 12 months to further consider the issue of transgender inclusion.

  This Working Group will include an independent chair, up to three Council Members, two athletes from the Athletes’ Commission, a transgender athlete, three representatives of the Member Federations and representatives of the World Athletics Health and Science Department.

  Its remit will be to consult specifically with transgender athletes to seek their views on competing in athletics; to review and/or commission additional research where there is currently limited research and to put forward recommendations to Council.

  World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations. We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount."

• Excellent performances at NCAA Division 1 Indoors see Alfred, Nugent and Distin named to Bowerman watch list

  Julien Alfred, Ackera Nugent and Lamara Distin are among ten women named to the watch list for the 2023 Bowerman Award after standout performances at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico from March 10-11.

  The Bowerman is an award given to the year’s best student-athlete in American collegiate track & field.

  There was also a pre-NCAA Indoor Championships list revealed earlier in March that included Alfred and Distin.

  St. Lucian Texas senior Alfred capped off a spectacular indoor season with a personal best and collegiate record 6.94 to defend her NCAA Indoor title. Her time made her the fastest Caribbean woman ever in the event and put her joint-second all-time behind Irina Privalova’s 6.92.

  The 21-year-old also won gold in the 200m in 22.01, another collegiate record and the second fastest time ever behind Jamaican Merlene Ottey’s 21.87 done 30 years ago in Lille.

  Arkansas sophomore Nugent, who was absent from the list released before the championships, earned her way on to the new one when she won gold in the 60m hurdles in 7.73.

  On day one of the meet, Nugent, 20, set a new collegiate and Jamaican national record when she ran 7.72 in the prelims. That time puts her fourth on the all-time list for the event.

  23-year-old Texas A&M senior Distin completed another unbeaten indoor season with a 1.91m clearance to win the high jump. In February, Distin cleared 1.97m to equal her own Jamaican record.

  The other seven athletes on the watch list are Florida’s Jasmine Moore and Talitha Diggs, Kentucky’s Masai Russell, NC State’s Kaetlyn Tuohy, Oregon’s Jorinde Van Klinken, Stanford’s Roisin Willis and Arkansas’s Britton Wilson.

   

• St Lucia's Julien Alfred sets sights on 60m world record, eager to test herself against the pros outdoors

  NCAA National Indoor 60m and 200m champion Julien Alfred has set her sights on the 60m world record after becoming the second fastest woman all time over the distance. She is also keen to test herself against the best female sprinters in the world.

  The 21-year-old Alfred, in her final indoor season for the University of Texas ran 6.94 to win the 60m dash and took 200m gold in 22.01 at the NCAA Division 1 National Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, Texas on March 11.

  Both times are the second fastest all-time behind Irina Privalova’s 6.92 and Merlene Ottey’s 21.87, respectively set 30 years ago.

  The only woman to break seven seconds at the collegiate level, Alfred’s accomplished that feat three times during the season and even as her collegiate career comes to a close, she plans to continue competing indoors because she wants the 60m world record.

  “I do want to go after that world record and I know some day I will get it,” she said while speaking with FloTrack, even while revealing that she did not think about the world record much prior to the NCAA finals because it induces her anxiety.

  Setting two world-leading times and the second-fastest times in the indoor sprints on the same day, she said, has boosted her confidence, especially the 200m, an event that she really dislikes.

  “I hate it. I am never going to like the 200m but this has really opened up my eyes as to what I can really do. This builds my confidence a bit more and I am looking forward to seeing what I can do at the international level. This is my last indoor competing for Texas so I am actually looking forward to going against the pros, competing at the professional level and see what I can do.”