CAS upholds IAAF's female eligibility regulations

New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI): Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday found the IAAF's female eligibility regulations necessary, reasonable and proportionate means for achieving the IAAF's legitimate aim of preserving the integrity of female athletics in the restricted events.
The regulations will come into effect on May 8, till that time all the relevant athletes (as defined in clause 2.2(a) of the Regulations) wishing to compete in the female classification in a restricted event (as defined in clause 2.2(b) of the Regulations) at an International Competition need to meet the eligibility conditions set out in clause 2.3 of the regulations.
The IAAF also noted three concerns by the CAS panel as to the fairness of the implementation of the regulations.
The CAS panel in the Chand case (CAS 2014/A/3759) found that the previous iteration of the regulations was administered with 'care and compassion' by the IAAF, and this will not change.
The regulations expressly stated that the IAAF will keep all practical matters of implementation under periodic review.
The IAAF has already addressed the CAS panel's first concern by mitigating the consequences of unintentional non-compliance by an athlete in a new clause 3.15.
The summary of the process for relevant athletes who are seeking eligibility for the IAAF World Championships in Doha 2019 are as follows:
An athlete who is a relevant athlete and wishes to compete in the female classification in a restricted event in an International Competition should immediately consult the eligibility regulations for the female classification for athletes with differences of sex development [insert link] and consult her medical team.
The relevant athletes have one week (7 days) from today (May 1, 2019) to reduce testosterone levels to within the regulation levels. So they are encouraged to initiate their suppressive treatment as soon as possible.
Relevant athletes registered to compete in the IAAF Diamond League Doha on May 3, 2019, are eligible to compete at that competition (including in Restricted Events) without decreasing their testosterone level below 5 nmol/L.
The Eligibility Conditions require a Relevant Athlete to reduce her testosterone levels to below 5 nmol/L for a continuous period of at least six months prior to competition in the female classification in a Restricted Event at an International Competition.
By May 8, relevant athletes seeking eligibility for the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019 must undergo a blood sampling to measure their serum testosterone level (using a mass spectrometry-based method as described in the Regulations).
The testosterone concentration obtained from this blood sample must be below 5 nmol/L and remain under this value as long as the athlete is seeking eligibility to compete in the female classification in a Restricted Event at International Competition.
Should the athlete show a testosterone concentration (obtained from samples collected pursuant to the athlete’s regular testing or from without notice IAAF tests) of 5 nmol/L or above before the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019, she may be declared ineligible to compete in the female classification in Restricted Events at those World Championships.
For the avoidance of doubt, no athlete will be forced to undergo an assessment and/or treatment under these Regulations.
It is each athlete's responsibility, in close consultation with her medical team, to decide whether or not to proceed with an assessment and/or treatment. (ANI)