(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, is considering dropping testosterone measurements for competitors in women’s soccer, a radical move that critics argue would give trans athletes an unfair advantage.
Sports Illustrated reported that FIFA is reviewing its transgender policy earlier this month. The new regulations are not yet established.
A FIFA spokesperson told Sports Illustrated that “Should FIFA be asked to verify the eligibility of a player before the new regulations will be in place, any such case will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account FIFA’s clear commitment to respect human rights.”
According to the Daily Mail, however, FIFA has already drawn up new regulations that make it easier for men to compete against women, dropping all testosterone requirements for competitors. The new regulations are not final, and some senior executives being consulted are dissatisfied with the new rules.
Reuters reported that experts are skeptical of the efficacy of the new rules. Professor Jurgen Steinacker, chair of the World Rowing’s Sports Medicine Commission, said, “As it stands, the proposed regulations sound arbitrary.
“Experts are asked to ‘refrain’ from using fixed thresholds for testosterone and other medical indicators. So, can they use them or not?”
Steinacker said the proposed policy could be an existential threat to women’s sports.
“If you are allowed to self-identify, and your suitability is then determined by a set of medical factors, you could end up dissolving the female category,” he warned.
This existential threat to women’s soccer comes on the heels of an existential threat to female swimmers, which its governing body is trying to address.
The current round of gender dysmorphia panic was brought about by the obvious injustice of Lia Thomas being crowned a “champion” of a “woman’s competition,” where Thomas had a natural and biological advantage over the competition, which was composed entirely of women.
