IAAF’S testosterone rules for women receives flak from UN
GENEVA: The UN Human Rights Council has condemned the IAAF’S attempt to regulate the testosterone levels of female athletes, as nations unanimously backed the cause of South African runner Caster Semenya.
In a rare intrusion into the world of sport, the United Nations’ top rights body has passed a resolution stating that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) may be in breach of “international human rights norms and standards”.
The South Africa-led resolution called on governments to ensure that sports organisations “refrain from developing and enforcing policies and practices that force, coerce or otherwise (put) pressure (on) women and girl athletes into undergoing unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedures”.
It was adopted by consensus by the council’s 47 members on Thursday. South Africa’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-diseko, told AFP she was “pleasantly delighted” by the adoption of the resolution.
“It means that in essence all the members of the UN agree with us,” Mxakato-diseko said.
The IAAF is looking to force so-called “hyperandrogenic” athletes or those with “differences of sexual development” (DSD) to seek treatment to lower their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount if they wish to continue competing as women.
AIBA CHIEF RESIGNS
LAUSANNE: Amateur boxing’s governing body (AIBA) president Gafur Rahimov announced his resignation on Friday, claiming that “politically based discussions” were harming the organisation’s progress as the sport battles to remain part of the Olympic programme. Rahimov was elected in November despite being on the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list “for providing material support” to a criminal organization, a claim the Uzbek strongly denies.
JUDOKA IN DOPING NET
NEW DELHI: Indian judo has received a blow ahead of the Asian Judo Championships in April with a national women’s champion failing a dope test for banned drugs and suspended pending a hearing, a judo official said on Friday. The Manipurbased judoka was a winner in the national championships held at Visakhapatnam in January.