It used to be that the world was far more Black and White. Newspapers were in Black and White, Photographs were Black and White, and Television was in Black and White.
In those long gone days the rules and laws of the land were also far more simple. They too could be described as Black and White. You erred you paid a penalty. In those days everyone knew the boundaries in sport and in life. In both world’s however everyone looked to push those boundaries as far as they could.
Sport was straightforward. There were amateurs and professionals, there were men and there were women, and all were paid a pittance. They played for the honour of of wearing their club or nation’s colours. Some sports offered no monetary prizes, simply a trophy, some not even that.
Yet even though sport was straightforward there were always those looking to improve or break supposed boundaries. If you take the breaking of the four minute time barrier in the mile. For years people said it could not be done, that it was physically impossible. In the 1940’s the world record was beaten or equalled six times but no one could get past the time of 04.01.04, that was until in 1954 at Iffley Road, Oxford, Roger Bannister finally managed to crack the magical number. Then one by one the other runners managed it too.
Suddenly what had seemed impossible was possible.
There were of course changing times ahead, and the simplicity everyone knew and accepted became far more complicated. Yes, the world had seen rebellion and mass action taken by people in many nations across the world against inequity, or issues that were unfair or unjust. The key thing to remember was that usually these issues only came to the fore when the majority spoke. Now that has been turned on its head and there are so many factions and factors to take into account that there really cannot be a right or a wrong, a Black or a White. There is either an unsatisfactory grey in which people try and appease all parties or everyone is awash in a sea of indecision. Suddenly the minor voices have shouted down the majority.
In the past week or even months the Court of Arbitration for sport was damned if they sided with South African runner Caster Semenya, and they were damned if they didn’t. Yet their conclusion slipped into a mire of grey.
They concluded that the rule the IAAF wishes to enforce whereby athletes with higher testosterone levels to medically reduce their levels was discriminatory, they stated that such a rule was incredibly necessary to protect and not diminish female sports.
What the rule in basic terms is saying is that athletes who are competing in female events who have higher than normal Testosterone level must reduce these levels with drugs, so that it will be a more even playing field.
The amount of times we see an athlete such as this is few and far between. However is it vital we force that athlete to take drugs to slow them down? Yet for years we have seen athletes taking drugs to make them go faster and the penalties handed down when caught have been laughable.
The official Press Release from the Court of Arbitration for Sport states: “Athletes with 46 XY DSD have testosterone levels well into the male range (7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L; normal female range being below 2 nmol/L). The DSD Regulations require athletes with 46 XY DSD with a natural testosterone level over 5 nmol/L, and who experience a “material androgenizing effect” from that enhanced testosterone level, to reduce their natural testosterone level to below 5 nmol/L, and to maintain that reduced level for a continuous period of at least six months in order to be eligible to compete in a Restricted Event. Such reduction can be achieved, according to the IAAF evidence, by the use of normal oral contraceptives.”
So what is 46 XY DSD?
One explanation is as follows: “A 46, XY disorder of sex development (DSD) is a condition in which an individual with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome in each cell, the pattern normally found in males, have genitalia that is not clearly male or female. Infants with this condition tend to have penoscrotal hypospadias, abnormal development of the testes, and reduced to no sperm production. Some individuals with 46, XY DSD have fully to underdeveloped female reproductive organs (e.g., uterus and fallopian tubes), while others do not. People with with 46, XY DSD may be raised as males or females.”
To be diagnosed as having a 46 XY DSD must be incredibly traumatic. Few can imagine how such a person must feel. They will never be able to have children. In many cases they have to undergo hormone treatment. They have to have regular health checks, as they are at a higher risk of having tumours in the region of their reproductive organs than most.
Whoever finds themselves in this position clearly did not choose it. It was a condition that they were born with. Yet that condition does not instantly guarantee success in the world of sport. To succeed at the level at which Caster Semenya has, she has had to be as dedicated as any other athlete. She still has to train, she still has to watch her diet, she still has to go to the gym.
It seems unreasonable to penalise her just because she has a condition that she was born with, just so others may be able to come closer to her on the Athletics track. Has she not already had enough to deal with?
Has anyone thought that Athletics and success in that sport has been her one release in life? That it is the one place where she can be equal? She clearly identifies as being a woman, and for years the world of athletics accepted that. Her only failing was to be successful. You can play, but you can’t win.
In boxing there have been many a tales of fighters who were told to take a dive. That they would get the big fight and the big pay cheque, as long as they did not win. Yet the true Champions don’t lie down. They stand up when it counts and do what is right, they give their all to win, and many a boxer has ultimately paid a very high price for taking that approach.
Sport is meant to be about winning and losing, about competition. On many occasions the odds are heavily tilted towards one individual and one team. Those individuals and those teams, just like the Four minute mile may appear to be unbeatable, yet frequently someone comes along and defies the odds and beats them. Liverpool proved that the other night in the UEFA Champions League, overcoming a three goal deficit against a star-studded Barcelona when few gave them a chance.
Sure you have to go back to August 2017 for the last time Semenya was beaten in the 1500m. However does that mean she will never be beaten?
The great 400m hurdler Ed Moses won 107 consecutive finals in his event; in total it was 122 races. Moses won two Olympic Gold medals, Two World Championships and broke several world records in that time. Yet eventually in Madrid on June 4, 1987 American Danny Harris beat Moses. He won the next ten races in a row after that loss, but at the 1988 Olympic Games finished with a bronze medal. Was he penalised or restricted in any way for his continual domination and success?
In Football 16 teams have gone through the equivalent to Athletics meets, by going through a season undefeated. In the early 1990’s AC Milan appeared unbeatable until they finally were beaten and their run of 58 games came to an end.
That is the beauty of sport everyone can lose on any given day. Who thought that Buster Douglas would beat the undefeated heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson? In every era there are athletes who dominate their sport, but should we penalise them for being good?
Semenya’s situation is not of her making. If she were taking drugs to enhance her position then we would all be up in arms. Therefore should we not all be up in arms that a Sport’s Governing body is saying that she has to take drugs in order to make it fair to her competitors and give them a chance of winning? Is there a difference? Ultimately you are trying to level the playing field and stop someone performing, whereas those taking drugs are trying to catch up with the stand out athlete. The end result is the same.
This is not a Black and White situation, but sadly it has been hijacked by many to push their own agendas. It is certainly not a situation that should be trivialised. Yet one cannot help feeling that Semenya has been targeted.
If that was not the case explain why is it that testosterone levels ruling only exists for the races Semenya participates in, 800m and 1500m? Why are other races not under the same scrutiny?
Sport is often compared to life. Frequently when something is unfair or a decision goes against someone. However here is the thing, in every race, and in every individual or team sport you will never get the exact same group of people. Male or female, in any sporting event, every single athlete is different, be it biologically, physically or mentally. Unless they are identical twins, no two athletes are the same. So no matter how many rulings you make and whether certain groups like it or not, you will never have a level playing field.
Sir Roger Bannister wrote that the for minute mile “had become like an Everest, a challenge to the human spirit.” The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling must appear to be just that for Caster Semenya.
Why can’t we just let Semanya do what she does best, which is run?
