EXPLAINER | Olympics-DSD rules in focus in women’s boxing

August 2, 2024 , 10:12 AM

(August 2, 2024, Paris, REUTERS) – The presence at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 of two boxers who were disqualified from last year’s world championships has revived the discussion over whether athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) should compete in women’s competition.

WHAT IS A DSD?

Differences of Sexual Development are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs. Some people with DSDs are raised as female but have XY sex chromosomes, blood testosterone levels in the male range and the ability to use testosterone circulating within their bodies.

WHY IS THAT AN ISSUE IN SPORT?

Women’s sports categories exist in most sports in recognition of the clear advantage that going through male puberty gives an athlete.

That advantage is not just through higher testosterone levels but also in muscle mass, skeletal advantage and faster twitch muscle.

In combat sports such as boxing, this can be a serious safety issue.

WHAT IS THE ISSUE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS?

Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at last year’s world championships in New Delhi fell foul of International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.

Algeria’s Khelif was disqualified hours before her gold-medal bout in New Delhi, while Taiwan’s double world champion Lin lost her bronze medal after she too failed to meet the criteria.

WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO COMPETE AT THE OLYMPICS?

The IBA was stripped of its status as the global governing body for boxing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in June last year because of its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues.

The IOC is therefore running the boxing competition at the Paris Games, as it did at the Tokyo Olympics, and its rules on the inclusion of athletes with DSDs and gender diversity in the women’s competition apply.

The latest IOC guidelines issued in 2021 state that inclusion should be the default in such cases and that athletes should only be excluded from women’s competition if there are clear fairness or safety issues.

“Federations need to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness but at the same time with the ability for everyone to take part who wants to. That’s a difficult balance,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on Tuesday.

“In the end it’s up to the experts for each discipline. They know very well where there is an advantage, and if that is a big advantage then that is clearly not acceptable. But that decision needs to be made at that level.”

ARE THERE ANY SIMILAR CASES AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS?

Zambia women’s soccer captain Barbra Banda was ruled out of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations after failing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) gender eligibility tests.

The 24-year-old did captain her country at last year’s Women’s World Cup and on Sunday scored a hat-trick in the first half of their 6-5 loss to Australia at the Olympic Games.

FIFA, which organises the Olympic football competition, still uses rules first published in 2011. They state that only men are eligible to play in men’s competitions, and the same for women. FIFA is reviewing its policy but there is no timeline for completion.

WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHER SPORTS?

South Africa’s double Olympic 800-metres track champion Caster Semenya has unwittingly been at the centre of this issue for more than a decade.

Over the past couple of years, the governing bodies of athletics, cycling, swimming and rugby union have been tightening their regulations to exclude those with the advantage of going through male puberty from some or all women’s competition.

Semenya has not been allowed to compete in any distance between 400m and the mile since 2018 unless she maintains lower testosterone levels, which requires medication.

She appeared at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in May to continue her challenge against World Athletics. The case is still being considered.

WHAT DOES THE IOC SAY ABOUT THE BOXERS?

The IOC has defended its decision to allow the two boxers to compete.

“I would just say that everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” IOC spokesman Adams said on Tuesday. “They are women in their passports and it is stated that is the case.”

WHAT DO THE OTHER BOXERS SAY?

“If you’re talking about fighting an actual man, then no, I’m not cool with fighting a man. But in their case, I can’t say specifically on them because I don’t know their scenario or situation,” Australian boxer Tiana Echegaray said on Wednesday.

“Biologically, genetically, they’re going to have more advantages, and in combat sports, it can be dangerous,” said Australian boxer Caitlin Parker.

“I think she is a very strong female boxer. She has a good chance of winning. I have confidence in her. She is very confident,” said Lin’s Taiwan teammate Chia Wei Kan.

(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Nick Mulvenney, Rachel Armstrong and Clare Fallon)

(PB)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.