RADCLIFFE BACKS PLAN TO LIMIT TESTOSTERONE

PAULA RADCLIFFE has insisted there should be a limit on female athletes’ testosterone levels to stop countries cherry-picking girls with the condition and forcing them into sport. The marathon world record holder acknowledged that the case involving double 800metres Olympic champion Caster Semenya is ‘not fair’ on athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD). But she supports the controversial proposal by world governing body the IAAF to introduce a testosterone limit for women athletes, saying it would be naive to think that federations would not start playing the system if it were not brought in. Radcliffe, speaking at the Protection for Clean Competition conference in London, said: ‘It is really difficult and really complex as they (athletes with hyperandrogenism) are not cheating in any way. It’s the way these girls were born and brought up and have the right to compete. ‘And it’s hard to talk about because people will say it’s racism or you’re accusing federations of doing this. But it would be naive to think if this rule didn’t go through that there aren’t some people out there, managers or federations, who would actively seek out girls with this condition and say “right you are going to do this sport and this event so that we can win”.’ Radcliffe, who sits on the IAAF’s athletes’ commission, said she has faced vicious trolling on social media since speaking out on the issue but wanted to support the vast majority of female athletes without elevated testosterone levels. She predicted that the Court of Abitration for Sport’s decision on Semenya, which is expected by the end of the month, will pave the way for other sports federations to introduce similar rules but said she feared a defeat for the IAAF would allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.