Exclusive Sportschau Survey: DSD and Transgender Rules: A Patchwork in World Sport

Sportschau examined 45 international sports federations to find out what rules apply to DSD and Transgender athletes. The results show only the inconsistency and lack of unity.

The only clear thing is that nothing is clear: the rules that regulate the law of DSD and the Transgender athletes to compete are a patchwork worldwide. This is the result of an exclusive survey conducted by ARD among the 45 most important international sports federations – many of them, to easily say it, treat controversial the gender problem. Twenty -four of the questioned world federations have not implemented rules for DSD and transsexual athletes that are based on scientific evidence.

This also affects the sport in which the advantage of scientific science, hormonal, DSD athletes could certainly play an important role, including boating, modern and gymnastics. In most of these federations, the rule is: anyone is a woman according to their passport is allowed to compete in the female category.

New regulations in works

The International Olympic Committee also applied this rule to boxing competitions to the Paris Olympics in 2024, after taking over the organization due to the suspension of the International Box Association (IBA). The result: Global heated discussions about DSD Imane Khelif (Algeria) and Li Y-ent (Taiwan) fighters, who we both won in Paris.

DSD represents “differences in sexual development”. The DSD athletes are born and raised as women, while the transgenerate athletes have consciously changed the gender identity. In response to the survey, many federations have stressed that there were new rules in the works and that experts have been consulted at this regard. The lack of rules means that the DSD athletes in these sports are not registered at all – so it is not clear how many of them participate in competitive sports.

Great differences of thresholds

In total, 21 of the worldwide management bodies have rules that take into account the scientific findings on the physical advantages of the DSD and of the Transgender female athletes. However, these rules vary greatly: in baseball, mountaineering, fighting and taekwondo, female athletes in question should lower the level of testosterone in 10 nanomols per liter of blood. However, this still puts them well in the “male” range (about 8.5).

Another six federations allow 5 nanomole per liter, which is still double compared to the usual level for women. This can be less relevant to surfing and skating than for boating, speed skating, tennis and ice hockey.

Differentiation In a row, navigation and dumbbells

Only 11 out of 45 world federations – including swimming, cycling and dumbbells – requires testosterone levels (below 2.5 nanomols per liter) and, in some cases, transformation before puberty. The latter is legally impossible in most cases. According to the survey, only three federations make a distinction between DSD and Transgender athletes: boating, navigation and dumbbells.

World Athletics, who are intensely faced with the two -decade problem and has already made several changes in the rules, is currently intending to align the DSD and Transgender rules. A unique set of female chromosomes, determined by a single cheek buffer test, is to become the basic requirement for the right to compete in women’s competitions. This was announced by President World Athletics, Sebastian Coe.

Ioc wants to intervene more

Protecting the integrity of competitions for women should be given more importance in athletics – and possibly not only there. Kirsty Coventry, elected last week to be the next president of the International Olympic Committee (COI), has already stressed this and indicated that he would like to see more support from other governing bodies in the implementation of new rules.

The next Los Angeles Olympic boxing tour in 2028 will be organized by New World Boxing Association, which currently develops new rules for DSD athletes and intends to publish them soon. This will determine whether Imane Khelif and Li Y-enti will be allowed to compete again.