BHUBANESWAR: India’s ace sprinter Dutee Chanda said on Tuesday that she was not worried about reopening of the hyperandrogenism case against her in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Switzerland, by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). The 21-year-old Odisha athlete who has won many medals for the country said she was focusing on the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships that got underway on Tuesday evening here at the Kalinga Stadium.
“I am not worried about the development but focusing on the Asian Athletics Championships. I have my lawyers and advisors, who will decide what to do on the hyperandrogenism issue,” said Dutee. She, however, admitted that there was some pressure on her. IAAF president Sebastian Coe, who is here, said Dutee can participate in the game.
“There is also no issue for Dutee to compete in the London World Championships in August 2017 if she qualifies,” said the IAAF chief. The ace sprinter will compete in three categories in the Asian Athletics Championship — 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay. Dutee was disqualified in 2014 by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) as per IAAF’s hyperandrogenism policy after tests revealed that her body produced testosterone at a natural level that was above the permissible range.
The Odia girl challenged the regulations and the decision of the AFI to ban her in September 2014. In its interim order in July 2015, the CAS panel suspended the IAAF Regulation governing eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism to compete in women’s competition for a maximum period of two years in order to give the IAAF the opportunity to provide the CAS with scientific evidence about the quantitative relationship between enhanced testosterone levels and improved athletic performance in hyperandrogenic athletes.
In a press release on Tuesday, the IAAF, quoting a new research paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said, “The study describes and characterises serum androgen levels and their possible influence on athletic performance in both male and female athletes. The study analysed 2,127 mass spectrometry-measured serum androgen concentrations obtained from elite athletes participating in the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Championships.
The study found that in certain events female athletes with high testosterone levels benefit from a 1.8 per cent to 4.5 per cent competitive advantage over female athletes with lower testosterone levels.” “Our position is to defend, protect and promote fair female competition. If, as the study shows, in certain events female athletes with higher testosterone levels can have a competitive advantage of between 1.8-4.5 per cent over female athletes with lower testosterone levels, imagine the magnitude of the advantage for female athletes with testosterone levels in the normal male range,” the release said, adding, IAAF would move the CAS seeking removal of its suspension order.
