Challenges Faced By Female Athletes With Elevated Testosterone Levels In Global Sports
- IJLLR Journal
- Mar 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 19
Dhanushree Sharma, IILM University, Gurgaon
Chahat Sharma, Government College of Education, Canal Road, Jammu
1. INTRODUCTION
Today, many female athletes face issues because of a hormone called testosterone which is highly mis conceptualized to a male hormone, which is not entirely false but this hormone is also present in the females and certainly in a much higher level in female athletes but still lower than males. This naturally occurring higher testosterone level in a female athlete has exposed them to many challenges. Taking the example of Indian sprinter Dutee who suffers from the production of naturally high testosterone (Hyperandrogenism)and was denied from competing against women only because her testosterone levels exceeded the guidelines for female athletes, she fought a not so beautiful legal battle and got the verdict in her favour. She is just one example but there are and were many who have faced so many heartbreaking challenges due to high testosterone levels naturally producing in their bodies. What needs to be known is that this problem of hyperandrogenism is due to many underlying medical conditions: CONGENTIAL ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA (CAH), POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS), DISORDER OF SEX DEVELOPMENT (DSD), and many more.
The issues dealt by such athletes are many folded from a pressure of complying with the regulations of sports governing bodies like the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETIC FEDERATION and THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, which many require such athletes to lower their levels just to compete in the events or to choose other events where such levels would not matter. This also brings out many questions about fairness, their gender identities and the concept of equality in sports.
Additionally, there are many psychological, legal, ethical, and medical challenges that are being faced by such women, which we will further discuss in this paper.
