Unfair advantage and the myth of the level playing field in IAAF and IOC policies on hyperandrogenism

Abstract

This chapter discusses the argumentative strategy of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) policies itself, by using the 2011 IAAF Regulations Governing Eligibility of Females with Hyperandrogenism to Compete in Women's Competition as a reference point. It shows the underlying interplay of scientific and value discourses, and how androgenic hormones gained prominence as the right candidates for ontological, normative and regulatory closure. The chapter elaborates on the notion of fairness emerging from the IAAF regulation, and assess whether hyperandrogenism constitutes unfair advantage in sports competitions. The singling out of hyperandrogenism from the rest of property advantages in elite sport is not the only level of unfairness arising in Caster Semenya's case. In a nutshell, the regulations demand women with hyperandrogenism undergo medical treatment to lower their androgen levels to those of average females if they want to be eligible for women's competitions.