Amelia Strickler, a 24-year-old British-American shot putter who won a silver medal in 2017 British Athletics Championshipssaid on Wednesday that World Athletics’ rules governing trans athletes put biological women at a disadvantage.
world athletics announced a proposal setting a maximum concentration of testosterone at 2.5 nanomoles per liter of blood. The previous amount was 5 nanomoles for one year. This limit has now been fixed at two years. The governing body for track and field stated that using a limit on testosterone was its “preferred option”.
The new proposal breaks with the governing bodies of swimming, rugby union and rugby league, which essentially bar men who have gone through male puberty to compete in a specific women’s sport.
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Amelia Strickler of Great Britain competes in the qualification round of the women’s shot put during the European Athletics Indoor Championships on March 4, 2021 in Torun, Poland.
(Adam Nerkiewicz/Getty Images)
The rules didn’t sit well with Strickler, who said the eligibility requirements still put women at a disadvantage.
“The effects of hormones and hormone replacement are not going to reduce that benefit of male puberty, and it will leave us females at a serious disadvantage,” Strickler told BBC Radio 5 Live on Wednesday.
“It’s happening at the grassroots level in parkruns and club-level athletics. It’s a ripple effect, a man replacing a woman and those results, it matters to all people. … It’s elite athletics.” I’ll be sooner than we think.”
Strickler said he doesn’t think he will have any choice but to accept the rules if officials vote on him in March.
Amelia Strickler of England competes during the women’s shot put final athletics event at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on day six of the Commonwealth Games on August 3, 2022 in Birmingham, central England.
(Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Do I have a choice? The document after (world athletics president) Seb Koe showed great support for FINA, which decided to have an open and women’s category in swimming, was shocking to me,” she said. “I was quite surprised that they were going to allow this to continue, even though they are making the rules more strict.
“It’s just something that I, my partners and my allies – we all work hard day and night – we don’t want to see happen. I hope people just see an open category that’s still fair and inclusive But we have to protect the women’s game and we have to ensure that women are not at such a disadvantage.”
FINA, the governing body for international swimming, changed its transgender eligibility rules at the height of scrutiny around Leah Thomas’s ability To participate in the NCAA and conference championships as early as 2022. FINA’s “Gender Inclusion Policy” will only allow swimmers who transitioned before the age of 12 to compete in women’s events.
Despite the backlash, Coe praised FINA’s efforts at the time.
Amelia Strickler of Thames Valley Harriers competes in the women’s shot put during the Muller UK Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena on June 26, 2022 in Manchester, England.
(Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
“We have always recognized that biology dominates gender, and we will continue to review our rules accordingly,” she said in the middle of last year.
Strickler received support for her stance from some British athletes on social media, but said there are others who support her but have not come out publicly.
“Athletics (soccer) is not, we don’t make big money. Contracts and funding matter. A lot of people don’t want to risk it and don’t want to be called transphobic,” she said.
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“It’s not about people not being included – that’s certainly not what I’m saying. I think we need to protect female sex and female sport.”