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SPORTS, TRANS* ATHLETES EXCLUDED FROM ATHLETICS. PIAZZONI (ARCIGAY): "FIDAL SHOULD REQUEST THE REINSTATEMENT OF THE OLD REGULATIONS."“
Bologna, April 1, 2023 – “From today, trans* athletes in track and field will disappear from competition. The sport, which for years has been moving toward a clear direction of inclusion and the development of new mixed events, open to both men and women (the 4x400-meter mixed relay was added to Tokyo 2020), is stalling and retreating without a clear and strong scientific rationale. This is a wrongful decision, harmful to trans athletes, based on no factual data, and sets a dangerous precedent for all athletes who train for years and then, within a few days, see the rules changed before a competition,” stated Gabriele Piazzoni, general secretary of Arcigay. It continues: "The World Athletics Federation (World Athletics) has decided to change the rules for trans* athletes, introducing such stringent regulations that they effectively prevent all currently active trans* athletes from competing. These new rules replace the previous ones; that is, it is not enough to have hormone levels within certain limits (2.5 nmol/L for 24 months) before a competition; from now on, it is mandatory to demonstrate that the initial transition phase occurred before the individual's puberty. This process is practically impracticable in our country and totally inaccessible to athletes today. The regulations in force until recently were functional and correct, because they were based on years of analysis by the federations on the hormone issue and, above all, they provided a clear path for trans* athletes to follow, consisting of checks and monitoring such that athletes competed in the female category without any performance advantages. In particular, the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) deserves recognition for its significant and concrete attention to trans* athletes." trans*. However, the new international regulation does away with all of this. We therefore ask FIDAL and CONI to immediately raise the issue at the international level, to bring back the old regulations and allow trans* athletes to compete and be trained in accordance with the provisions of the old regulations, which we want back in force, regarding their competitive careers,“ concludes Piazzoni.
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Bologna, April 1, 2023 – “From today, trans* athletes in track and field will disappear from competition. The sport, which for years has been moving toward a clear direction of inclusion and the development of new mixed events, open to both men and women (the 4x400-meter mixed relay was added to Tokyo 2020), is stalling and retreating without a clear and strong scientific rationale. This is a wrongful decision, harmful to trans athletes, based on no factual data, and sets a dangerous precedent for all athletes who train for years and then, within a few days, see the rules changed before a competition,” stated Gabriele Piazzoni, general secretary of Arcigay. It continues: "The World Athletics Federation (World Athletics) has decided to change the rules for trans* athletes, introducing such stringent regulations that they effectively prevent all currently active trans* athletes from competing. These new rules replace the previous ones; that is, it is not enough to have hormone levels within certain limits (2.5 nmol/L for 24 months) before a competition; from now on, it is mandatory to demonstrate that the initial transition phase occurred before the individual's puberty. This process is practically impracticable in our country and totally inaccessible to athletes today. The regulations in force until recently were functional and correct, because they were based on years of analysis by the federations on the hormone issue and, above all, they provided a clear path for trans* athletes to follow, consisting of checks and monitoring such that athletes competed in the female category without any performance advantages. In particular, the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) deserves recognition for its significant and concrete attention to trans* athletes." trans*. However, the new international regulation does away with all of this. We therefore ask FIDAL and CONI to immediately raise the issue at the international level, to bring back the old regulations and allow trans* athletes to compete and be trained in accordance with the provisions of the old regulations, which we want back in force, regarding their competitive careers,“ concludes Piazzoni.
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