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Review
. 2021 Jul;51(7):1401-1415.
doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01451-8. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Integrating Transwomen and Female Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD) into Elite Competition: The FIMS 2021 Consensus Statement

Blair R Hamilton  1   2 Giscard Lima  3   4 James Barrett  2 Leighton Seal  2 Alexander Kolliari-Turner  1 Guan Wang  5 Antonia Karanikolou  1 Xavier Bigard  6   7   8 Herbert Löllgen  7 Petra Zupet  7 Anca Ionescu  7 Andre Debruyne  7   8 Nigel Jones  9   10 Karin Vonbank  11 Federica Fagnani  4 Chiara Fossati  4   12 Maurizio Casasco  7   8   13 Demitri Constantinou  8   14 Bernd Wolfarth  8   15 David Niederseer  16 Andrew Bosch  17 Borja Muniz-Pardos  18 José Antonio Casajus  18 Christian Schneider  8   19 Sigmund Loland  20 Michele Verroken  21   22 Pedro Manonelles Marqueta  8   23 Francisco Arroyo  8   24 André Pedrinelli  8   25 Konstantinos Natsis  7   8   26   27 Evert Verhagen  28 William O Roberts  8   29 José Kawazoe Lazzoli  8   30 Rogerio Friedman  31 Ali Erdogan  8   32 Ana V Cintron  8   33 Shu-Hang Patrick Yung  8   34 Dina C Janse van Rensburg  35 Dimakatso A Ramagole  35 Sandra Rozenstoka  7   8   36 Felix Drummond  7   8   37 Theodora Papadopoulou  7   8   38 Paulette Y O Kumi  39 Richard Twycross-Lewis  40 Joanna Harper  41 Vasileios Skiadas  42 Jonathan Shurlock  43 Kumpei Tanisawa  44 Jane Seto  45   46 Kathryn North  45   46 Siddhartha S Angadi  47 Maria Jose Martinez-Patiño  48 Mats Borjesson  8   49   50 Luigi Di Luigi  8   51 Michiko Dohi  8   52 Jeroen Swart  8   53 James Lee John Bilzon  8   54 Victoriya Badtieva  8   55   56 Irina Zelenkova  18 Juergen M Steinacker  7   8   57 Norbert Bachl  7   8   58   59 Fabio Pigozzi  4   7   8   12 Michael Geistlinger  8   60 Dimitrios G Goulis  61 Fergus Guppy  1   62 Nick Webborn  63 Bulent O Yildiz  64 Mike Miller  65 Patrick Singleton  65 Yannis P Pitsiladis  66   67   68   69   70
Affiliations
Review

Integrating Transwomen and Female Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD) into Elite Competition: The FIMS 2021 Consensus Statement

Blair R Hamilton et al. Sports Med. 2021 Jul.

Erratum in

  • Correction to: Integrating Transwomen and Female Athletes with Differences of Sex Development (DSD) into Elite Competition: The FIMS 2021 Consensus Statement.
    Hamilton BR, Lima G, Barrett J, Seal L, Kolliari-Turner A, Wang G, Karanikolou A, Bigard X, Löllgen H, Zupet P, Ionescu A, Debruyne A, Jones N, Vonbank K, Fagnani F, Fossati C, Casasco M, Constantinou D, Wolfarth B, Niederseer D, Bosch A, Muniz-Pardos B, Casajus JA, Schneider C, Loland S, Verroken M, Marqueta PM, Arroyo F, Pedrinelli A, Natsis K, Verhagen E, Roberts WO, Lazzoli JK, Friedman R, Erdogan A, Cintron AV, Yung SP, Janse van Rensburg DC, Ramagole DA, Rozenstoka S, Drummond F, Papadopoulou T, Kumi PYO, Twycross-Lewis R, Harper J, Skiadas V, Shurlock J, Tanisawa K, Seto J, North K, Angadi SS, Martinez-Patiño MJ, Borjesson M, Di Luigi L, Dohi M, Swart J, Bilzon JLJ, Badtieva V, Zelenkova I, Steinacker JM, Bachl N, Pigozzi F, Geistlinger M, Goulis DG, Guppy F, Webborn N, Yildiz BO, Miller M, Singleton P, Pitsiladis YP. Hamilton BR, et al. Sports Med. 2021 Jul;51(7):1417-1418. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01467-0. Sports Med. 2021. PMID: 33835352 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Sport is historically designated by the binary categorization of male and female that conflicts with modern society. Sport's governing bodies should consider reviewing rules determining the eligibility of athletes in the female category as there may be lasting advantages of previously high testosterone concentrations for transwomen athletes and currently high testosterone concentrations in differences in sex development (DSD) athletes. The use of serum testosterone concentrations to regulate the inclusion of such athletes into the elite female category is currently the objective biomarker that is supported by most available scientific literature, but it has limitations due to the lack of sports performance data before, during or after testosterone suppression. Innovative research studies are needed to identify other biomarkers of testosterone sensitivity/responsiveness, including molecular tools to determine the functional status of androgen receptors. The scientific community also needs to conduct longitudinal studies with specific control groups to generate the biological and sports performance data for individual sports to inform the fair inclusion or exclusion of these athletes. Eligibility of each athlete to a sport-specific policy needs to be based on peer-reviewed scientific evidence made available to policymakers from all scientific communities. However, even the most evidence-based regulations are unlikely to eliminate all differences in performance between cisgender women with and without DSD and transwomen athletes. Any remaining advantage held by transwomen or DSD women could be considered as part of the athlete's unique makeup.

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Conflict of interest statement

Blair Hamilton, Gicard Lima, James Barrett, Leighton Seal, Alexander Kolliari-Turner, Guan Wang, Antonia Karanikolou, Xavier Bigard, Herbert Lollgen, Petra Zupet, Anca Ionescu, Andre Debruyne, Nigel Jones, Karin Vonbank, Federica Fagnani, Chiara Fossati, Maurizio Casasco, Demitri Constantinou, Bernd Wolfarth, David Niederseer, Andrew Bosch, Borja Muniz, Jose Casajus, Christian Schneider, Sigmund Loland, Michele Verroken, Pedro Manonelles Marqueta, Francisco Arroyo, André Pedrinelli, Kostas Natsis, Evert Verhagen, William Roberts, José Kawazoe Lazzoli, Rogerio Friedman, Ali Erdoğan, Ana Cintron, Patrick Yung, Christa Janse van Rensburg, Dimakatso Ramagole, Sandra Rozenstoka, Felix Drummond, Theodora Papadopoulou, Paulette Kumi, Richard Twycross-Lewis, Joanna Harper, Vasileios Skiadas, Jonathan Shurlock, Kumpei Tanisawa, Jane Seto, Kathryn North, Siddhartha Angadi, Maria Patino, Mats Borjesson, Luigi Di Luigi, Michiko Dohi, Jeroen Swart, James Bilzon, Victoriya Badtieva, Irina Zelenkova, Juergen Steinacker, Norbert Bachl, Fabio Pigozzi, Michael Geistlinger, Dimitrios Goulis, Fergus Guppy, Nick Webborn, Bulent Yildiz, Mike Miller, Patrick Singleton and Yannis Pitsiladis declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this review.

References

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