Caster Semenya loses landmark legal case against IAAF over testosterone levels

[Coyote Mas Loco]

More from iaaf on female eligibility in athletics -

https://www.iaaf.org/news/press-release/questions-answers-iaaf-female-eligibility-reg

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Y'know - when you don't capitalize it - "iaaf" kinds looks like "laff"

Might you need reading glasses?

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Caster is running the Diamond League 3000 m in the Prefontaine Classic (at Stanford, not Eugene this year because the stadium at Eugene was demolished and rebuilt) this weekend. It should be a great race with many of the best in the world competing - Ayana, Siffan Hassan, Obiri. Only 2 Americans in the field, Rachel Schneider ran a 15:06 5000 the other week but she'll probably only be about 8th at best.

[diablita]

She is very clearly showing that she won't take the route of changing her testosterone levels.  I hope she does well.  It's a very stacked field and won't be easy but hopefully that will pull her to even stronger results.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Multi-world record holder G. Dibaba is also in the field.
Karissa Schweizer (just out of college) is the other American.

It will be interesting to see how Semenya holds up against the Americans. They (Semenya and Americans) should be in the 8:40s - 8:50s; leaders in 8:30s, maybe the winner or top two under 8:30.

[Arrojo]

Lung capacity has never been a determining factor of which category you run in.   And if testosterone were to be treated like lung capacity, ALL woman would be able to use whatever means to increase it to their benefit.   

Not necessarily.  Caster's testosterone situation is similar to Coyote's lung capacity (  yes I went there).  It's a natural occurrence, giving the athlete a competitive advantage.  Why not treat natural bodily advantages like natural bodily advantages, nothing more.  It doesn't mean allowing all women to turn into the East Germans.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Not necessarily.  Caster's testosterone situation is similar to Coyote's lung capacity (  yes I went there).  It's a natural occurrence, giving the athlete a competitive advantage.  Why not treat natural bodily advantages like natural bodily advantages, nothing more.  It doesn't mean allowing all women to turn into the East Germans.

https://tenor.com/search/coffee-spill-gifs

Yes there are genetic anomalies but the difference between gentic advantage - say Michael Phelps' huge feet or Wild Chamberlain's size and agility and cases like Caster Semenya and Margaret Wambui (also affected by the recent ruling) is that these middle distance runners are intersex. And in Semenya's case at least (not sure about Wambui), she has a Y chromosome.

I have an opinion on all this, don't know if it's right. And in fact nothing seems right. Caster racing against women born without the chromosomal and testosterone advantages does not seem fair, but nor do the rulings which seem arbitrary.   

[diablita]

I have an opinion on all this, don't know if it's right. And in fact nothing seems right. Caster racing against women born without the chromosomal and testosterone advantages does not seem fair, but nor do the rulings which seem arbitrary.   

1 to all of it

It would be fantastic if there were enough intersex athletes to create another division.  It's not realistic.  And also it's not just enough to have competitors, as women's sports show us across the whole spectrum of sports.  There also has to be interest in watching them AND revenue generation and still if the powers that be don't want to pay them as well, they won't.

[nadra's babydaddy]

She should just get a wolf.  As should all intersex athletes.   Then they can compete in their own human vs. wolf division!  That should be a decent revenue generator. 

[Coyote Mas Loco]

1 to all of it

It would be fantastic if there were enough intersex athletes to create another division.  It's not realistic.  And also it's not just enough to have competitors, as women's sports show us across the whole spectrum of sports.  There also has to be interest in watching them AND revenue generation and still if the powers that be don't want to pay them as well, they won't.

I agree with creating division for intersex and transgender athletes. The Paralympics started out small and now the events capture worldwide attention.

[nadra's babydaddy]

Spreading to high school now.... https://www.boston.com/news/high-school-sports/2019/06/19/connecticut-high-school-track-transgender-athletes?fbclid=IwAR15cGdMS1v_S6e5lkWXyOng4tdyJfEXZZbWkIrj_mX8aZMMP72VQsmYDxk

In fairness CT is one of the states with people chomping at the bit to sue if so much as Dunkin messes up their coffee.  But this issue definitely needs to be addressed. 

[Coyote Mas Loco]

I always thought the chorus of Talking Heads "The Big Country" referred to New Jersey [David Byrne - being a New Yorker - is morally obligated to hate NJ]

I wouldn't live there if you paid me
I wouldn't live like that, no Siree
I wouldn't do the things the way those people do
I wouldn't live there if you paid me to

I realized a while ago, it was actually about Connecticut

I always thought it was the heartland they were singing about.
Goo goo goo ga ga ga

That a Christian right group is pursuing this with a vengeance is not good.

[Coyote Mas Loco]

Due to the ruling from the Swiss court last month Semenya is now eligible to run in IAAF 800s again. So she switched from the 3000 for the upcoming Pre Classic to the 800.