The Challenge
One of the most pressing and sensitive questions in elite sport is whether transgender and DSD athletes should be eligible to compete in the female category, or if there is a need to adapt our sex-based categorisations to ensure fair competition?
There is significant public controversy around individuals who were born male but identify as women competing within the female category. Regardless of whether transition involves identity, medication or surgery, there is often a biological advantage linked to testosterone levels experienced during puberty. DSD individuals (differences in sex development) have a genetic medical condition which may lead to some advantage in sport; recent regulations require all DSD athletes to medically reduce their blood testosterone level in order to compete.
In academia, there has been a lack of objective, peer-reviewed literature on this topic, and a reluctance to engage in discussions due to shifting conventions around terminology.
The Method
The DATES study at Swansea University comprises a cross-disciplinary research team with expertise in ethics, sociology, biology, physiology, and elite sport. The team focusses on producing ethical and rigorously conducted research findings to inform policy development.
One study conducted an anonymous survey of 175 elite athletes to understand their opinions and shape policy. 58% felt that eligibility should be characterised by biological sex, however, the majority believed that individuals should have the right to transition, and that sport needed to be more inclusive.
The survey also highlighted the nuances around classifications, such as the type of sport and the athletes’ ranking in that sport. For example, within precision sports such as archery, there was little or no disadvantage to females competing against trans and DSD athletes, compared to contact and physical capacity sports.
The Impact
A number of DATES study members are associated with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and are part of a special interest group in molecular physiology with a focus on eligibility in elite sport.
In the past, policy makers have been making decisions without consulting athletes, but now discussions are going in right direction. To build on the work so far, in the coming years, the DATES project will engage with lawyers, academics, policy makers, athletes to gain insights into opinions on the inclusion transgender and DSD athletes in elite sports.
