Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, both 18-year-old athletes from Namibia, have been banned from the Olympic 400-meter dash. These two athletes are both cisgender women, but are not allowed to compete due to their naturally high testosterone levels. This is not the first time the Olympics has banned cisgender women from competing for this reason.
The federation began to implement these rules and inspections of the body after the 2009 Olympic games where Caster Semenya ran so fast, she was suspected of cheating or using performance enhancing drugs.
These rules implemented by the Olympics are claimed to be based on “fairness” because they believe that higher testosterone levels result in better performance in women. The rules are also rooted in transphobia, making it nearly impossible for transgender women to compete. While preventing transgender athletes from competing, these rules also affect cisgender athletes. It also greatly affects intersex athletes, who do not fall into these rigid boundaries of “male” and “female” as set by the federation.
During the 2016 Olympic games, three cisgender female athletes from Africa were banned from running the 800-meter race due to their testosterone levels. These women were Caster Semenya of South Africa, Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, and Margaret Wambui of Kenya. These harmful rules have devastated the careers of athletes such as these, as it is something natural and not under the athletes’ control.
These athletes are not the only ones facing discriminatory rules and policies. The Olympics have recently banned swim caps that are designed for natural Black hair, claiming it is because it does not adhere to the “natural” head shape. This means that Black swimmers will either have to sacrifice their Olympic swimming career, or their natural hair. However, facing criticism for this ban, it is possible that the decision will be reviewed and possibly overturned. Shortly after blowing away the competition in the 100-meter dash, Sha’Carri Richardson tested positive for cannabis. Although this is not a performance enhancing drug, and is legal to smoke recreationally in the state Richardson was in, she is still not allowed to race in the 100-meter dash in Tokyo this year.
