Dutee’s gender case to be re-opened, IAAF to return to CAS

New delhi, Two days before she is to compete at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, sprinter Dutee Chand’s ‘gender case’ has hit the headlines with the International Athletics Association (IAAF) deciding to return to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with more evidence in support of its hyperandrogenism policy.
On July 27, 2015, in a CAS case between Dutee and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and the IAAF, the CAS made an interim decision to suspend the world body’s hyperandrogenism regulations for a period of two years.
It was done in order to provide the IAAF with an opportunity to submit further evidence as to the degree of performance advantage that hyperandrogenic female athletes have over athletes with normal testosterone levels. After the CAS partially upheld her appeal in an interim order two years back, Dutee was allowed to “continue to compete” till a final decision was given by the CAS on her appeal against IAAF’s hyperandrogenism policy.
Now that the IAAF has decided to pursue the case again, Dutee’s appeal against the world body’s hyperandrogenism policy will be in the limelight with many activists in India and abroad opposing it, terming it as a case of ‘gender bias’.
The IAAF, however, made it clear that the hyperandrogenism regulations remain suspended pending the resolution of the CAS proceedings and its decision to return to the top court of world sports will have no impact on the IAAF World Championships to be held in London in August.
The IAAF said that the findings of a study paper funded by it on the currently suspended hyperandrogenism regulations has been published and it is returning to the CAS before the two-year deadline which ends of July 27.
Gowda cleared for Asian Athletics Championships
Bhubaneswar: The uncertainty over discus thrower Vikas Gowda’s participation for the Asian Athletics Championships starting here on Thursday ended today with the national federation finally clearing his name at the last minute.