Athletics: IAAF introduce new gender rules

MONACO: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has approved new regulations regarding the eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism to compete in women’s athletics. It follows an IAAF Council rules review resulting from the gender row over South Africa’s Caster Semenya. The rules will be enforced from May 1 and apply to all international events. The IAAF has appointed a panel of international medical experts to review cases of female athletes with hyperandrogenism. They will operate independently of the IAAF and will make recommendations to the governing body over athletes’ eligibility for competition. The new rules are the result of an 18-month review by an IAAF working group and the International Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2011.