Berlin – Hyperandrogenism regulations of the ruling athletics body, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), remain suspended for another six months, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.
CAS said it expected the IAAF to, during this period, modify the rules based on a new draft.
The court suspended the rules, which include a women’s testosterone cap for a level playing field, in 2015 in connection with an appeal by Indian sprinter Dutee Chand.
It had requested better evidence from the IAAF or it would scrap the rules permanently.
A study commissioned by the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2017 had given the rule some backing.
It had said women with a higher testosterone level than others could have performance gains of up to 4.5 per cent in certain events.
The CAS had agreed that new submissions from the IAAF were “sufficient compliance with the Panel’s directive’’.
But it also said the rules would remain suspended for another six months until a final ruling, during which the IAAF is to say which steps it will take.
“If the IAAF decides not to withdraw its current Hyperandrogenism Regulations, then these proceedings will resume before the same Panel of arbitrators.
“If the IAAF withdraws the Hyperandrogenism Regulations and/or replaces them with the proposed draft regulations it has submitted, then these proceedings will be terminated,’’ the statement said.
Hyperandrogenism is a medical condition characterised by excessive levels of androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone) in the female body and the associated effects of the elevated androgen levels.
Also known as androgen excess, it is an endocrinological disorder similar to hyperestrogenism.
