New rules are now in force following Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on landmark Caster Semenya case

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has published a question-and-answer on its new female eligibility regulations, which come into effect today (May 8).

The new rules relate to restricting testosterone levels in female runners in certain events on the world stage.

The implementation of the new rules comes after two-time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya lost her landmark case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where she and Athletics South Africa had sought to overturn the world governing body’s new regulations.

The IAAF has since published further details about the new rules on its website, including a question-and-answer series on the ‘eligibility regulations for the female classification [athletes with differences of sex development (DSD)]’.

The new regulations can be downloaded here.

Here is the IAAF Q&A in full:

1. Which athletes fall under the DSD regulations?

“The DSD regulations only apply to individuals who are:
legally female (or intersex) and who have one of a certain number of specified DSDs, which mean that they have:
male chromosomes (XY) not female chromosomes (XX)
testes not ovaries
circulating testosterone in the male range (7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L) not the (much lower) female range (0.06 to 1.68 nmol/L); and
the ability to make use of that testosterone circulating within their bodies (i.e., they are ‘androgen-sensitive’).”

2. What do such athletes have to do to be eligible to compete in the female classification?

“If they are competing below international level, they do not have to do anything. They can compete without restriction.

“If they are competing at international level, in one of the affected events (track races between 400m and one mile in distance), they first have to lower the level of testosterone in their blood down to below 5 nmol/L (because that is the highest level that a healthy woman with ovaries would have) for a period of six months, and maintain it below that level while they continue to compete at international level in such events.

“If they want to compete at international level in other events, again they can compete without restriction, i.e., without lowering their testosterone levels.

“To lower their testosterone levels in this way, affected athletes can either (a) take a daily oral contraceptive pill; or (b) take a monthly injection of a GnrH agonist; or (c) have their testes surgically removed (a ‘gonadectomy’). It is their choice whether or not to have any treatment, and (if so) which treatment to have. In particular, the IAAF does not insist on surgery. The effects of the other two treatments are reversible if and when the athlete decides to stop treatment.

“Importantly, lowering testosterone in one of these ways is the recognised ‘gender-affirming’ standard of care for any individual (athlete or not) who is 46 XY but has a female gender identity.”

3. Why do the regulations only cover events between 400m to the mile?

“Based on the science, the IAAF considers that 46 XY DSD athletes would have an advantage in all events based on their levels of testosterone in the male range. However, the evidence to date indicates that track events run over distances between 400m to one mile are where the most performance-enhancing benefits can be obtained from elevated levels of circulating testosterone, i.e., both from the extra strength and power derived from the increases in muscle mass and strength, and from the extra oxygen transfer and uptake derived from the increased haemoglobin in the blood.

“Therefore, taking a conservative approach, to allow DSD athletes to compete in the gender with which they identify as far as possible without restriction, the new Regulations only apply to track events between 400m and one mile (and only to international competitions). However, the revised Regulations expressly confirm that the IAAF Health & Science Department will keep this under review.  If future evidence or new scientific knowledge indicates that there is good justification to expand or narrow the number of events affected by the Regulations, it will propose such revisions to the IAAF Council.”

4. Will you remove the 1500m and mile from your regulations, as suggested by CAS?

“No. The CAS asked us to consider whether to defer application of the restrictions to these two distances pending further experience. However, we believe there is enough evidence from the field across all the disciplines covered by our regulations, so the 1500m and the mile will remain included in the regulations.  We may have more data in relation to the 400m and 800m, but there is evidence relating to the longer distances, and it is also generally accepted that an elite 800m runner will also excel over 1500m and one mile. We will keep this and all other aspects of the regulations under careful review as we move forward.”

5. How will you administer the Regulations?

“The Regulations contain detailed requirements for confidential assessment of any new cases that arise. As found in the Chand case, the IAAF’s regulations are administered with ‘care and compassion’, and that will remain the case moving forward.

“The most immediate requirement is that all 46 XY DSD athletes who would like to compete at the World Championships in Doha in September in the restricted events need to provide the IAAF medical team with their serum testosterone level (from analysis of a blood sample using a mass spectrometry-based method as described in the Regulations) by 8 May. The testosterone concentration obtained from this blood sample must be below 5 nmol/L and remain under this value as long as the athlete is seeking eligibility to compete in the female classification in a Restricted Event at International Competition.  We will treat each athlete individually with a combination of testing their medical team does and testing our medical team undertakes, including random testing.

“Usually, under the Regulations, a DSD athlete must suppress her testosterone below 5 nmol/L for a continuous six month period before competing in the female classification in a Restricted Event at an International Competition.  As a special transitional provision to ensure the delay caused by the legal challenge to the Regulations does not prejudice 46 XY DSD athletes, the IAAF will accept that DSD athletes who comply with the 5 nmol/L limit starting on or before 8 May 2019 will be eligible for the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019, assuming they meet the other required Eligibility Conditions.”

6. What is your response to the claims about the harmful side effects of taking the medication you recommend?

“CAS accepted the evidence of experienced medical experts that a 46 XY DSD athlete can bring her levels of testosterone down to below 5 nmol/L by taking ordinary doses of oral contraceptives. It also accepted that this may have unwanted side effects, but these are not different in nature to those experienced by the many thousands if not millions of XX women who take oral contraceptives, and that such side effects can be minimised by indivisualising treatment.

“In short, then, side effects are a risk of taking any medication.  Side effects of oral contraceptives may include sweating episodes and flushes, which are more likely if compliance to treatment is poor or inconsistent. Any side effects should be managed by the athlete’s treating physician, who should also advise the athlete on consistent compliance with her treatment.

“There are some effects of the medication that might be considered as or confused with ‘side effects’ but are in fact the desired effects of treatment to reduce testosterone levels. Those are effects like loss of muscle mass, reduction of haemoglobin concentration, and increase in fat mass.  For many 46 XY individuals with one of these DSDs and a female gender identity, such treatment is the recognised standard of care, and the medication helps to change their body to better reflect their chosen gender.”

7. Why are you targeting one athlete / How big a problem is this in the sport?

“Some commentators have suggested that the regulations were (and have always been) directed at an individual athlete. That is not true. The IAAF is bound by strict confidentiality and so simply cannot – and will not – disclose the number of other athletes affected, or the identities of those athletes.

“We have seen in a decade and more of research that approximately 7.1 in every 1000 elite female athletes in our sport are DSD athletes with very high testosterone levels in the male range. The majority of those athletes compete in the restricted events covered by the regulations. This frequency of DSD individuals in the elite athlete population is around 140 times higher than you will find in the general female population, and their presence on the podium is much more frequent even than this. The CAS accepted that this demonstrates, in statistical terms, that they have a significant performance advantage.”

8. Why are you focused on testosterone rather than other genetic differences like leg length, height or arm span?

“It is correct that elite sport celebrates and rewards genetic differences (height, wing span, fast twitch muscles, etc).

“The only genetic difference that elite sport does not celebrate is the genetic difference between men (with male chromosomes, XY) and women (with female chromosomes, XX). That is because XY chromosomes produce testes (rather than ovaries), which produce testosterone in the typical male range (rather than testosterone in the – much lower – typical female range), which is what produces men’s bigger and stronger bones and muscles and higher haemoglobin levels, which gives them a massive performance advantage over women.

“CAS accepted this, and therefore accepted that the main driver of the marked sex difference in sport performance (10-12% on average) is the physical advantages conferred by having testosterone levels in the male range (7.7 – 29.4 nmol/L in blood) rather than the normal female range (06 – 1.68 nmol/L).

“Everyone agrees there must be separate male and female competition categories precisely to ensure that this genetic difference (XY chromosomes producing testes and high testosterone levels rather than XX chromosomes producing ovaries and low testosterone levels) is not outcome-determinative.

“We regulate 46 XY DSD athletes because they have that same genetic difference. If that genetic difference makes it unfair for men to compete against women, it also (obviously) makes it unfair for 46 XY women to compete against women. The 46 XY DSD athlete’s testes mean that she produces testosterone not in the female range (0.06 to 1.68 nmol/L) but instead in the male range (7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L). If a 46 XY DSD athlete’s body can make use of the testosterone that it produces, then she has all the same advantages as a 46 XY man has over a 46 XX woman.

“That conclusion is supported by our research and observation, which show such athletes possess a very clear performance advantage. Our research of more than a decade included testing all female athletes at the Daegu 2011 and Moscow 2013 World Championships. We have been able to study performances of athletes with elevated and supressed testosterone levels and have seen the difference in performance in long sprint and middle distance running events. This has informed our regulations.”

9. There is a lot of comment that the research and data underlying the regulations is flawed. How robust is the research?

“There are a lot of published papers by the IAAF medical team and many other experts in the field. These articles (all of them) are only a part of the basis for the Regulations. The other part are scientific observations from the field with a historical listing of the DSD cases in Athletics, as well as performance evolution in DSD athletes when unsuppressed/suppressed/unsuppressed. These last two important components were shared with CAS but are highly confidential as they include medical data that can identify individual athletes. All published papers have been peer-reviewed. For example, the 2017 Bermon & Garnier BJSM paper was criticised for its statistical approach. A new set of statistics were provided on a modified database (taking into account some of the criticisms raised). This can be found in the BJSM 2018 paper which confirms with a different statistical method the main findings of the 2017 paper. This is explained clearly in the 2018 paper and other criticisms of these papers are misplaced. CAS in its reasoned decision acknowledged that although not comprehensive (for obvious methodological reasons), the research used by the IAAF was valid and admissible. CAS decided that that research, along with the other published papers provided by the IAAF, and the evidence from the field mentioned above, was enough to establish that the elevated testosterone levels that 46 XY DSD athletes possess can create an ‘insuperable advantage’ over other female athletes who do not have a 46 XY DSD.”

10. If a DSD athlete competed nationally without taking medication and broke the world record in restricted events, would it be ratified?

“No, the world record would not be ratified. The Regulations clearly require a DSD athlete to comply with the regulations (and supress her testosterone) in order to be eligible to set a world record in a restricted event at a competition that is not an International Competition. See clauses 2.1 and 2.3 of the Regulations.”

11. What happens if these regulations are challenged under the national laws of different countries?

“We would defend any claim that was made in any national or international forum as we would any other challenge (including if necessary on jurisdictional grounds). These are international sporting regulations so need to have harmonised effect across the world. That is why the rules require disputes to be resolved at CAS. CAS is competent to rule on all legal claims, including human rights claims, and it did so in its recent ruling, in favour of the IAAF.

“The CAS has found the discrimination in these regulations (treating 46 XY DSD women differently from other women) to be justified because they are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the legitimate objective of protecting fair competition in the female classification. In short, it found that in this context ‘biological reality trumps gender identity’. That ruling should be respected and enforced by the national courts.”

12. The World Medical Association (WMA) has issued a statement advising physicians not to implement the IAAF regulations and calling for their withdrawal. What is your response?

“We have written to the WMA and its Board Members to make it clear that our Regulations are not predicated on a ‘single study’ but 15 years of observations and research from the field (as well as a number of peer-reviewed studies, many of which are listed in the explanatory notes to the Regulations, and are publicly available). We have also pointed out that in 46 XY DSD individuals, reducing serum testosterone to female levels by using a contraceptive pill (or other means) is the recognised standard of care for 46 XY DSD individuals with a female gender identity (whether those individuals are athletes, or not). These medications are gender-affirming. We have asked that our letter which can be found here is circulated to its members so they are aware of the information we have provided. We encourage all interested parties to read the regulations and the explanatory notes available on the IAAF website.”

The first British Athletics League Division 2, 3 and 4 fixture of 2019 will no longer take place due to a shortage of officials

The opening Division 2, 3 and 4 fixture in this year’s British Athletics League (BAL) has been cancelled due to a shortage of officials.

The combined match had been due to take place at Bedford on Sunday (May 12).

The joint Premiership and Division 1 match will still take place as planned in Swansea.

“Unfortunately, despite best efforts, it became apparent last week that we were dangerously low on officials who had agreed to officiate the meeting,” said Dean Hardman, chair of the BAL, with the opening League matches having been scheduled for the same weekend as the county championships.

“The decision to clash (with the county champs) was taken in good faith, there was no intention to do anything other than give as many decent level competition opportunities to athletes as we could.

“We will let people know what the arrangements are for any rearranged fixture or what the decision is.”

On the competition calendar, Hardman said: “The reason why these clashes happen in May is that the calendar is very congested. That’s not to say we’re saying that it (the opening match) won’t be rearranged, we just need to have that conversation.

“At the AGM last November, when this decision (the calendar) was approved by clubs, I stated as chair that this was not about trying to persuade officials not to officiate at their county championships. The intention was to encourage as many officials as we could to do both. That’s why the match is on a Sunday and why it was a triple header as well.”

He added: “We have made a decision as a committee that we will not seek to repeat this clash in 2020.”

England flanker James Haskell says he "blubbed" in front of his Northampton team-mates when he told them he would be retiring at the end of the season.

The back row, 34, was capped 77 times by his country, winning three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam.

"I said goodbye to the lads the other day and I broke down, I blubbed in front of them. I couldn't get my words out. I didn't expect that," he said.

"I just couldn't speak and I cried. There are a lot of emotions with it."

Former Wasps player Haskell has struggled with ankle and toe problems this season, making only four appearances.

He already has business ventures in health and fitness programmes and DJ-ing, which he did alongside his playing career, but admits it will be difficult to adjust to life after rugby.

"Finding my feet again is going to be really hard. I'm lucky, my wife is amazing, she spotted it coming and I do have good days and bad days," Haskell added.

"I speak to a lot of players who have retired and they find it hard. A lot of players find it hard. A lot of sportsmen get depression, all sorts of mental health issues.

"A lot of people come up to me and say, 'you'll be alright, you've done this, it's impressive', but it's as terrifying as if I had never done anything."

'Jones got the best out of me'

Haskell toured with the British and Irish Lions to New Zealand in 2017 after being part of the England team who won the Grand Slam in 2016 and whitewashed Australia on tour that summer.

He said he believed his international career was over after the 2015 World Cup, but came back into the fold when Eddie Jones was appointed head coach.

"My best games for England were under Eddie Jones," he said.

"Eddie out of everyone treated me in a way that got the best out of me.

"He understood that I was a guy who needed an arm around me, needed my tyres pumped up, someone to believe in me and actively want to help me."

CONCORD, N.C. – The ARCA Menards Series invaded Charlotte Motor Speedway Tuesday afternoon for an open test session in advance of the General Tire 150 on May 23.

Harrison Burton, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, set the fastest time of the test session. His 29.631-second lap at 182.242 mph, which came late in the day, led a Venturini Motorsports sweep of the top three spots ahead of Christian Eckes and Michael Self.

“We just did a qualifying run right there. I think all the Venturini cars did,” Burton said of his fast lap. “It was kind of fun to go out and let it loose and go for a good lap, which is something that drivers always like to do.

“We’re just working on the balance on the No. 20, trying to get it to where we can rotate the corner and still have good rear grip. I feel like our qualifying trim was really good, just need a little bit more in race trim and we’ll be pretty hard to beat.”

Burton, who is competing full-time in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series this year for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is slated to compete in the General Tire 150 one day after his high school graduation.

“I’m going to have a busy week,” Burton said with a laugh.

Riley Herbst, who tested two different Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas Tuesday, was fourth fastest and reigning ARCA champion Sheldon Creed was fifth in a GMS Racing Chevrolet.

Travis Braden, the current ARCA Menards Series championship leader, managed only the 15th fastest lap. He explained that he and the RFMS Racing team battled a tight condition throughout the test.

“It’s kind of an all-new package for us. We just had to figure out where the starting point was and go from there,” Braden said. “We kind of unloaded really tight and never found anything to make it not tight. I guess that is still somewhat of a positive for us because every deal we had last year we were fighting really loose. We wanted to get that out of it and we did, now we just have to kind of figure out how to meet in the middle.”

Other notables at the test were reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray, rookie Cole Glasson, Richard Petty’s grandson Thad Moffitt, multi-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion Ty Majeski and 2018 Daytona ARCA runner-up Willie Mullins.

Mullins, who hasn’t competed since an early crash in the ARCA opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February, is planning to make his first start at a 1.5-mile speedway at Charlotte later this month.

“It was a very good day. We made progress all day, mainly as a driver,” Mullins said. “We worked all day to go faster. Every run with older and older tires we went faster and faster. That just shows you how much is left in the car. We’ve got a good car to come back and run a solid 10th or 15th at least, if not better.”

The Boston Bruins open the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at home. But defenseman Charlie McAvoy won't be participating in Game 1, having been suspended for one playoff game by the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for an illegal check to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson.

It's the first time McAvoy, 21, has been fined or suspended in his two-year NHL career.

In the second period of Game 6 on Monday night, Anderson and Zdeno Chara of the Bruins raced after a loose puck. Anderson gained control and attempted to move deeper into the attacking zone. McAvoy skated over and checked Anderson, making contact with his body but mostly with his head. Anderson fell to the ice and went to the trainers room with 23 seconds remaining in the period.

He later returned to the game and even had a conversation with McAvoy in the handshake line after the Bruins eliminated the Blue Jackets with a 3-0 win.

Despite the impact of the hit, McAvoy was given only a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head by the on-ice officials. Since there is no provision for a major penalty on that call, the refs had to decide whether to give him two minutes or a match penalty, which carries an ejection. But that latter call is made only in cases where the officials feel there was a deliberate intent to injure another player.

McAvoy said there wasn't any intent on his part.

"I put my shoulder into him," he said. "It was a hockey play. I tried to deliver a check. I was penalized two minutes for it."

The Department of Player Safety said it accepted McAvoy's argument that there was no malicious intent on the hit but that his approach in making the hit showed poor decision-making -- that a hit delivered through the core of Anderson's body was possible but McAvoy instead went too high and made contact with the Blue Jackets forward's head.

"It's important to note that while Anderson's body and front shoulder do absorb some contact on this check, the main point of contact was the head," the department said in a video explaining the one-game suspension.

McAvoy played 54 games for the Bruins in the regular season, scoring seven goals, making 21 assists and skating 22:10 per game. Through 13 playoff games, he has a goal and five assists and is averaging 24:46 of ice time.

Jurgen Klopp called his Liverpool team "f---ing giants" after they pulled of an unbelievable second-leg Champions League semifinal comeback to beat Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate.

Liverpool came into the match trailing 3-0 on aggregate following the first leg at Camp Nou, but their dramatic 4-0 second-leg win over the La Liga champions on Tuesday night sees them into a second UCL final in as many years.

Following the match, Klopp told BT Sport: "These boys are f---ing giants. Fine me for swearing if you want. These boys are giants.

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"Creating this kind of emotional atmosphere together is so special. It's all about the players. James Milner was crying at the end. It's so special - the mix of potential and unbelievable heart -- I've never seen it before."

Braces from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum and a clean sheet from Alisson were the centerpieces of the magical night at Anfield.

The team was also without injured regulars Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, and after the match Klopp said: "Putting in a performance like this on the pitch, it was so important -- it shows what's possible in football. It's so nice, it's really nice.

"We needed to be serious and cheeky -- all the predictable things, Barcelona defend well - -we needed to be unpredictable. Ben Woodburn looked at me at the end and said 'what happened?'"

Despite the overwhelming odds they faced to mount a comeback, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said the players knew they could turn around the tie.

"Unbelievable. I don't think many people gave us a chance. Before the game we knew that it would be difficult but it was still possible of course," Henderson told BT Sport.

"It's amazing. We knew that at Anfield we could do something special. It's a special night. They're a fantastic team but we knew if we showed heart we had a chance to get something."

Liverpool flew at Barca from the start and there were some spicy exchanges with the Merseyside club's former striker Luis Suarez. One clash with the Uruguayan left full-back Andrew Robertson injured, but the defender shrugged it off.

"Who's going to the final? We are. That's all that matters. Gini went on [for me] and scored two. I don't care right now," Robertson told BT Sport.

"I've said so many times this season but what a team. We believe. People wrote us off. But we believed if we got off to a good start we could do it."

On the injury, Robertson said: "It doesn't feel the best at the minute but I'll get a scan tomorrow.

"They're confident that it's just a nerve or whatever and it can be maybe a couple of days, but we'll wait and see.

Dutchman Wijnaldum, who replaced Robertson at halftime, revealed that he was annoyed at being left out of the starting lineup by Klopp.

"I was really angry that the manager put me on the bench. I just tried to help my team, [and] I'm happy I could do that with two goals," he said smiling.

Origi added: "It was more about the team [than my goals]. We did so well. We knew it would be a special night. We wanted to fight for the injured guys. We fought so hard."

Liverpool, who also have a chance at winning the Premier League on the last day of the season, will face either Tottenham or Ajax in the June 1 final in Madrid.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

LIVERPOOL, England -- Luis Suarez accused Barcelona of defending like kids and apologised to supporters after the Spanish champions collapsed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Liverpool as they were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday.

Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum both scored twice as Liverpool recovered from a three-goal defeat at Camp Nou last week to reach the Champions League final for a second season running thanks to a 4-3 aggregate win.

Substitute Wijnaldum scored twice in two minutes at the start of the second half before Origi added the winner in front of the Kop at Anfield when Barca switched off at a corner.

"It is inconceivable that we, Barcelona, concede two goals in just over a minute," Suarez told reporters. "We defended like kids for the fourth goal."

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It's the second time in two seasons that the Catalans have given up a three-goal advantage in the Champions League. Last season they lost 3-0 to Roma after winning the first leg 4-1.

Suarez, who on his return to Liverpool was jeered and told to 'f--- off' by supporters that used to idolise him, said the players must be prepared for the criticism which will come their way in the coming weeks.

"We have to be really self-critical about what happened," he added. "It's the second time this has happened. We can't commit the same mistakes two years running. There are a lot of things to evaluate and to think about.

"We have to apologise for our attitude and we must be conscious that the criticism is going to rain down on us now. We're really upset, we're hurting a lot. We're humans and we feel the pain."

Coach Ernesto Valverde, who was made to carry the buck for last season's loss to Roma, also apologised to Barca's supporters.

"We're really sorry to the fans," he said in his postgame news conference. "We play to make them proud of us. Everyone expects us to win all the time but we have lost -- and in a very painful way.

"This is the first game we have lost in the Champions League this season but we are out because of it. The players are the ones that play on the pitch and they are hurting more than anyone.

"The most painful thing is to repeat [what happened in Rome]. It happened last season and it has happened again. But when you lose 4-0 you can't have any excuses. They were better than us and we have to accept it."

Despite winning back-to-back league titles since taking charge in 2017 -- and with the possibility of a second domestic double still on the cards -- Valverde's future may come under the microscope once again following one of the worst losses in Barca's history.

"I don't know how this affects my future," the coach added. "We haven't had time to think about those things. But here we are and the coach has to take responsibility."

Valverde only signed a contract extension earlier this year but president Josep Maria Bartomeu wasn't prepared to back his manager after the harrowing defeat at Anfield. Instead, he called for the focus to be on the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25.

"We're in the heat of the moment after the loss," he told reporters when asked about Valverde's long-term future on the Camp Nou bench. "Now we have to pick everyone up and get back on track because we still have a cup final to play.

"There are going to be some difficult days ahead, but we have to go again. There will be time to reflect on what went wrong and explain things. There's a cup final to play in three weeks. The same happened in Rome last year. It's tough to explain. We will do it internally."