As part of inclusion guidelines announced on Friday, Australia’s national sports authority has proposed testosterone limitations for transgender athletes hoping to compete in elite female competitions. The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) non-compulsory rules allow national federations to evaluate if testosterone suppression is required for eligibility to compete in female divisions.
The ‘Transgender & Gender-Diverse Inclusion Guidelines for HP (high-performance) Sport’ require that transgender athletes have plasma testosterone levels of less than 2.5 nanomoles per litre for at least two years prior to competing. Sports, on the other hand, have the freedom to determine their own thresholds based on physiological requirements.
Participation of transgender athletes in female competitions has become one of the most polarising issues in sports
“Sports that are not explosive, power-based, or aerobic may consider that the appropriate range for the sport exceeds AIS recommended guidelines,” said the framework. The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is the ASC’s high-performance wing. The participation of transgender athletes in female competitions has become one of the most contentious and polarising issues in sports. A number of worldwide sports federations, including athletics, rugby union, and rugby league, have excluded transgender women from elite female contests, citing fairness and safety issues. Other sports have established testosterone limitations similar to Australia’s new rules.
Some experts have questioned whether testosterone limitations are adequate to ensure fair competition, claiming that transgender women athletes who have experienced male puberty may retain physical advantages even after hormone suppression. Advocates for transgender inclusion believe that the transition process significantly reduces advantage and that physical inequalities between athletes mean there is never truly a fair playing field. Australia’s recommendations come months after the national basketball federation denied a transgender athlete’s application to compete in a semi-professional competition, sparking outrage among LGBT organizations.
In Australian sports, the eligibility standards for transgender athletes competing in elite female competitions vary greatly. The Australian Football League, the sport’s governing body, mandates testosterone levels to be fewer than 5 nanomoles per liter for two years prior to competition, taking height, weight, and other characteristics into account. Cricket Australia has a one-year pre-competition limit of 10 nanomoles per mL.
