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Sprinter Dutee Chand Challenges Ban Over Her Testosterone Level
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/sports/sprinter-dutee-chand-fights-ban-over-her-testosterone-level.htmlDutee Chand loves her body just the way it is. She loves her long, dark hair, which is often pulled back into a tight ponytail, and the toned biceps she likes to show off with tank tops. As a young teenager, she was dismayed that her body lacked curves, but now, at 18, she loves that, too. She believes that the body she was born with — every chromosome, cell and organ — makes her the woman she is.
But to compete internationally as a female sprinter, that is not enough.
Last summer, Chand, India’s 100-meter champion in the 18-and-under category, was barred from competing against women. She has a condition called hyperandrogenism, and her body produces natural levels of testosterone so high that they place her in the male range in the eyes of international track and field.
Following a rule by the International Association of Athletics Federations, track’s governing body, the Athletics Federation of India will allow Chand to return to competition only if she lowers her testosterone level beneath the male range. She can do that by either taking hormone-suppressing drugs or having surgery to limit how much testosterone her body produces.
But to compete internationally as a female sprinter, that is not enough.
Last summer, Chand, India’s 100-meter champion in the 18-and-under category, was barred from competing against women. She has a condition called hyperandrogenism, and her body produces natural levels of testosterone so high that they place her in the male range in the eyes of international track and field.
Following a rule by the International Association of Athletics Federations, track’s governing body, the Athletics Federation of India will allow Chand to return to competition only if she lowers her testosterone level beneath the male range. She can do that by either taking hormone-suppressing drugs or having surgery to limit how much testosterone her body produces.
