The Human Rights Special Procedures body of the United Nations has urged the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to withdraw its Eligibility Regulations for Female Classification (Athlete with Differences of Sexual Development) in a letter to IAAF President, Sebastian Coe. The DSD Regulations, as they have become known, are designed to regulate athletes with one of seven listed differences in sex development (DSDs) competing in international events run between 400m and one mile in the IAAF’s female category, if their testosterone levels are above 5 nmol/L and have an ‘androgenising effect’ (i.e. if that testosterone is taken up by their androgen receptors and boosts their physiology).
In the letter, three UN Special Rapporteurs for physical and mental health; torture; and discrimination against women highlight ‘serious concerns’ that the DSD Regulations:
• Contravene human rights standards and norms;
• do not present evidence justifying that they pursue a legitimate aim;
• are not reasonable and objective;
• do not demonstrate proportionality between their aim and effects.