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[THREAD] The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has released its report on race and gender discrimination in sports -- importantly, it recommends that eligibility regulations like @WorldAthletics' be revoked immediately: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session44/Pages/ListReports.aspx
![[THREAD] The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has released its report on race and gender discrimination in sports -- importantly, it recommends that eligibility regulations like @WorldAthletics' be revoked immediately: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session44/Pages/ListReports.aspx](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbsJOzAX0AAHIJl.png "[THREAD] The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has released its report on race and gender discrimination in sports -- importantly, it recommends that eligibility regulations like @WorldAthletics' be revoked immediately: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session44/Pages/ListReports.aspx")
Background: The regulations target women athletes with some variations in their sex characteristics that cause higher than typical natural testosterone levels by disallowing them from participating in the women's category in international competitions.
**unless they submit to invasive testing and unnecessary medical interventions to reduce their testosterone levels.
One of the most prominent narratives about these regulations has been around the decade-long saga of South African runner, Caster Semenya, who lost her appeal for equal treatment a the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2019: https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/01/caster-semenya-loses-appeal-equal-treatment
Semenya's case came in the wake of another groundbreaking and courageous case fought by Indian sprinter, Dutee Chand: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/sports/sprinter-dutee-chand-fights-ban-over-her-testosterone-level.html
For more background read this interview with @MitrP: On "How Limits On Testosterone Levels In Female Athletes Lead To Witch-Hunts and Their Abuse” -- https://www.indianwomenblog.org/expert-dr-payoshni-mitra-on-how-limits-on-testosterone-levels-in-female-athletes-lead-to-witch-hunt-and-their-abuse/
Or this piece by @Karkazis: "Testosterone: It is not the 'male sex hormone,' nor is it the key to athletic performance. Why do we insist otherwise?" https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/opinion/testosterone-caster-semenya.html
Here is some key analysis from the OHCHR report:
1/The regulations create the risk of unethical medical practice, particularly when the informed consent of the person concerned is not required, and violations of the general prohibition on medically unnecessary procedures.
1/The regulations create the risk of unethical medical practice, particularly when the informed consent of the person concerned is not required, and violations of the general prohibition on medically unnecessary procedures.
2/Particular care is required where there are power imbalances resulting from inequalities in knowledge, experience and trust between health-care providers and individuals, particularly those from vulnerable groups.
3/In sport, such power imbalances are compounded by athletes’ dependency on the sports federations requiring such medical interventions and the frequent absence of adequate and holistic support during the decision-making process.
4/Women's right to sexual and reproductive health may be put particularly at risk by unnecessary medical interventions that affect hormones and reproductive anatomy and capacity
5/Because these regulations are applied in hundreds of countries, among many actors, it is impossible to guarantee privacy
6/Female eligibility regulations may take away the ability of athletes to control their bodies and the trajectory of their sporting and post-sporting life.
The OHCHR report makes a number of strong recommendations.
Here are 2 important ones:
Here are 2 important ones:
1/Carry out, in conjunction with athletes, public education campaigns to counter gender-stereotyped and racist attitudes to address negative and stereotypical portrayals of women and girl athletes in the media, including attitudes about appropriate norms of femininity.
2/Sport governing bodies should review, revise and revoke eligibility rules and regulations that have negative effects on athletes’ rights, including those addressing athletes with intersex variations.
-- @HRW has critiqued the regulations for how they impinge on fundamental rights protections ( https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/07/26/revoke-discriminatory-athletics-gender-regulations) and we were thrilled to join partners like @ICJ_org @amnesty @P4HR @ILGAWORLD @AthleteAlly @intersexaus @SexualRights in submitting analysis to this report.
