Miguel del Valle Soto
President of the Spanish Society of Sports Medicine (SEMED), professor of the Faculty of Medicine, School of Sports Medicine, University of Oviedo.
In principle I agree with the decision to ban the participation of transsexuals in athletics competitions because one person's rights end when they interfere with those of others and in the case of competitive sport (they are professionals who make their living from sport) something like this can happen if it is not analysed and dealt with in depth. Controls need to be put in place.
Elite sport has to reconcile the right to identity and non-discrimination of sportswomen and fair play, understood as equal opportunities for the participants. Some transgender sportswomen have physical superiority that puts their female teammates at a disadvantage. The integrity of the competition, understood as the equality of the participants, must be ensured.
The key is the testosterone level, which is much higher in men (30-120 ng/mL in men and less than 10 in women) and is the criterion to be taken into account, although other parameters could also be considered. Hormonal treatment is necessary to modify some male characteristics.
On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account the integration of all those who feel they are women and to consider the right of trans women to compete as women. It is probably only fair that they should be able to compete once they have completed their gender transition. It is not the same for an athlete who became trans as a teenager as it is if she changes sex in full competition and without interrupting training (transitioning in full competition).
We must study each case on a case-by-case basis so that there is no disproportion. Not all trans women compete with an advantage.