Monthly Archive for May, 2011

Volume 9 Issue 4 April 2011

IAAF: hyperandrogenism rules are challenge proof

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is confident that its rules on the eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism will withstand legal challenge when they are published on 1 May. Hyperandrogenism is a medical condition involving excessive production of hormones (androgens) such as testosterone.

Guidelines published by the International Olympic Committee on 5 April and the IAAF rules allow a female with hyperandrogenism to compete in women’s events ‘provided that she has androgen levels below the male range (measured by testosterone levels in serum)’. “We have received good feedback from lawyers and human rights experts”, said an IAAF spokesperson. “It is the only way to deal with this issue from a medical point of view. If we don’t have rules on this, we will also face legal challenge from other female athletes.”

Kristen Worley, founder of the Coalition of Athletes for Inclusion in Sport, questioned basing eligibility rules on androgen levels. “It flies in the face of the overwhelming evidence of the tremendous hormonal variability among humans”, she said. “This sets up many other young people for the devastating treatment that Caster Semenya experienced.”

Both the IAAF and IOC also dismissed concerns that by making an athlete who fails a hyperandrogenism test ineligible, they are posing a threat to their privacy. ‘A female athlete who declines, fails or refuses to comply with the eligibility determination process under the regulations shall not be eligible to compete in women’s competition’, read a 14 April IAAF release. Both the IAAF and IOC said there had been similar cases in the past that had been kept private. “Early detection for example under the Athlete Biological Passport will eliminate this issue”, said an IAAF spokesperson.

The IOC’s hyperandrogenism rules are scheduled for approval at the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, 1-9 July. “Once all athletes have their own biological passports, a case would be identified by abnormal hormone levels”, said an IOC spokesperson. “Since it may take some years for biological passports to become fully applicable, we will rely on the following mechanisms to trigger an androgen investigation: (i) the athlete may have symptoms that make her consult her team doctor; (ii) a pre-participation health examination may reveal there is a problem; (iii) a suspicion may arise in the doping control station; or (iv) a doping control analysis may reveal an abnormal hormone pattern”.

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Published May 2011

Oscar Pistorius the new A*Men Cologne –  Represented as a modern day hero.

Brilliant and ground breaking! This is the positive messaging of change and inclusion we are working towards.

Just Fabulous!

Removing the boundaries of diversity. The possibilities are unlimited, doing it together.
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Goto – YouTube Advertisement – “Click Here“
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Published May 16, 2011

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A Brilliant Canadian Production!! – “It Gets Better Canada” – LGBT Celebrity Canadians share their stories for the It Gets Better Project

Nearly 30 Canadian celebrities have taken part in Canada’s version of ‘It Gets Better.’ It’s a half-hour video (launching November 2nd in Toronto) and fundraiser for Ontario’s LGBT Youthline. One of the celebrities in the film, Rick Mercer, will be on the show tonight to discuss this great campaign.

“It Gets Better Canada” UTube Video – “Click Here”

Many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them.

Growing up isn’t easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, leading them to feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens, who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can’t imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted — even tortured — simply for being themselves.

Justin Aaberg. Billy Lucas. Cody Barker. Asher Brown. Seth Walsh. Raymond Chase. Tyler Clementi. They were tragic examples of youth who could not believe that it does actually get better.

While many of these teens couldn’t see a positive future for themselves, we can. The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.

Goto “It Gets Better Project” website for more information “Click Here”

Learn more about the LGBT Youthline “Click Here”

Published May 15th, 2011

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IAAF.org – Hot women’s 800m and 1500m fields on tap in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Eugene, USA – Red hot fields in the women’s 800 and 1500m promise scintillating battles at the 37th annual Prefontaine Classic on 4 June, the fourth stop on the 14-meeting Samsung Diamond League series.

In the 800m, the reigning World champion is back, and appears poised to assume the mantle of invincibility she displayed in her breakout 2009 season.

As an 18-year-old new to the world stage, South African Caster Semenya crushed the field in Berlin two years ago, winning the gold medal by over 2-seconds in 1:55.45. This season, Semenya will face the strongest field since those championships when she is challenged by an incredible field in Eugene.

Among the entrants in Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei, the silver medallist from Berlin and 2007 World champions; 2010 US champion Alysia Johnson; reigning Olympic champion Pamel Jelimo of Kenya; Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica, the current world leader at 1:59.63; Jemma Simpson of Great Britain and the Oregno Track Club; and American Anna Pierce.

Last year, an extraordinary nine women broke two-minutes in the Prefontaine Classic 800m and a new meet record of 1:57.56 was set. Can lightning strike twice?

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Published May 8th, 2011

Canada captures two gold medals at Para-cycling World Cup

CANADIAN CYCLING ASSOCIATION
2011.05.05

CANADA CAPTURES TWO GOLD MEDALS AT PARA-CYCLING ROAD WORLD CUP IN AUSTRALIA
The women tandem of Robbi Weldon and Lyne Bessette, as well as Jaye Milley take top honours in road race

(Sydney, AUS – May 5, 2011) The Canadian Para-Cycling Team won three medals on the second day of the 2011 UCI Para-Cyling Road World Cup in Sydney, Australia, including two gold medals. The women’s tandem composed of Robbi Weldon and Lyne Bessette, as well as Jaye Miley both won the gold medal in the road race of their respective categories while the Canadian handcycling relay team took the bronze medal.

Jaye Milley of Calgary, Alberta dominated the road race in the C1 category, completing the 53.7-km course in a lightning fast time of 1:40.44, beating his closest competitor, Austria’s Andreas Kirkl, by more than eight minutes.

Milley, who has been on the National Team for less than a year, is learning rapidly and is becoming an athlete to watch for on the start line. Milley won the bronze medal in the Kilo time trial at the 2011 UCI Para-Cyling Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy, this past March.

The women’s tandem race, won by the Canadian duo comprised of Paralympian Robbi Weldon of Thunder Bay, Ontario and Olympian Lyne Bessette of Knowlton, Quebec, was much different. In a thrilling three-tandem sprint to the finish line, it’s the Canadians that edged by just one second the tandem of Jayne Parsons and Sonia Waddell of New Zealand, second, and the British duo of Lora Turnham and Fiona Duncan, third.

Goto to Full Press Release “Click Here”

Published May 6th, 2011

Frost Illustrated
Sports body to reject ‘I know it when I see it’ standard for women
May 4th 2011

“The International Olympic Committee and the International Association of Athletics Federations have a new policy to deal with athletes whose sex development is unusual.

The bad news is that the new policy appears biased and sexist which, critics worry, could trickle down to school-based sports. Players will be tested for testosterone and women with high levels will be excluded from games while men will not.”

Goto to Full Article “Click Here”

Other Reference
NYTimes April 24th, 2011 – Redefining the Sexes in Unequal Terms
Prof. Alice Dreger, clinical medical humanities and bioethics.
Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
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Published April 4th, 2011

IAAF – Releases Today HA Regulations – Explanatory Notes re Hyperandrogenism – Continued Aggression, Oppression and Medicalization of Women Athletes.

A tremendous setback for women’s participation in sport, human rights and Olympic Movement.

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“Despite the well documented sorry history of the medicalization of women, it medicalizes the definition of womanhood one more time, taking the expression of embodied gender identity out of the hands of the very humans involved, and setting up many other young people for the devastating treatment that Caster Semenya experienced. Moreover, it flies in the face of the overwhelming evidence of the tremendous hormonal variability among humans.

What is further shocking, the IAAF and IOC projecting the athletes health is at risk and or see as “abnormal” to purposely publicly mislead to legitimize their policy and unsupported actions.  Where in-fact most high performance female athletes have raised level of androgens for various natural reasons, ad that that they are some of the healthiest women on the planet.  Only to be presumed “unwell” when being ONLY confronted by the IAAF and IOC.

In the elite  mens division, there are are no set limits – in-fact promoted and take advantage of to push the male human performance barriers.

This is a social ethics problem, which in-fact has whatsoever nothing to do with the athletes themselves.  This is an entrenched  and historical problem of sport, IOC and IAAF and how ALL women are perceived as high performance athletes as women in sport.”

Kristen Worley – Canadian High Performance Elite Athlete/Gender Educator

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“The bad news is that the new policy seems sexist in its philosophy. Indeed, it is so sexist that it may even count as a violation of Title IX, which will matter because the international policies will undoubtedly trickle down to school-based sports.

The hormones in question are not naturally exclusive to men. Women and men naturally make androgens — sometimes called strength-building hormones — including testosterone.

Yet despite the fact that testosterone belongs to women, too, the I.O.C. and the I.A.A.F. are basically saying it is really a manly thing: “You can have functional testosterone, but if you make too much, you’re out of the game because you’re not a real woman…”

“…Yet this newly proposed biological reduction of women to a hormonally disadvantaged class of people — one medically made disadvantaged, if necessary — struck many of us as regressive from the standpoint of women’s rights. Indeed, it reminds me of those itty-bitty shorts that college women’s volleyball players must wear. They each sexualize the bodies of female athletes as a requirement of play. They each insist that a woman never be manly.”

NYTimes April 24th, 2011 – Redefining the Sexes in Unequal Terms
Prof. Alice Dreger, clinical medical humanities and bioethics.
Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
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“How can the I.O.C. and I.A.A.F. claim that they support the full inclusion of women when they reimpose a medical test for their very identity? It’s a huge setback for human rights and the integrity of the Olympic movement.”

April 24th, 2011 – Redefining the Sexes in Unequal Terms
Former Canadian Olympian, Dr. Bruce Kidd
University of Toronto.

Download Official IAAF Document PDF Release “Click Here”
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Other Supporting References of the Historical Impact of Gender Testing
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Journal of Human Sport & Exercise
An approach to the biological, historical and psychological repercussions of gender verification in top level competitions

JOURNAL OF HUMAN SPORT & EXERCISE – VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 3 | 2010 _________________________________________________________________________________________
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The University of Western Ontario Medical Journal
Gender verification testing: Necessary for the integrity of international athletics, or inexcusable breach of personal privacy?

Volume 79, Number 2 – Endocrinology -Published Spring 2010

Published May 2nd, 2011