"Unfair Genetic Advantage"

[BalaRoja]

It appears very likely that Semenya is probably intersexed in some way and/or has AIS. The question for the track and field organizers will be if said conditions present an advantage. If you have AIS, you generally don't benefit from T because your condition, Androgen (testosterone) Insensitivity Syndrome, makes you unresponsive to T. With Semenya's t-levels being around 7.5 as I remember, this is 3x higher than the 'normal' female range so her responsiveness to T is probably 'the' issue. From my recollection, the rulings on these matters have been mixed in the past.

For those that might be confused by the notion of intersexed, just bear in mind that it is hardly as uncommon as some might like to imagine. In fact, given the frequency of intersex conditions, 1 in roughly 3000, you are far more likely to BE intersexed than to be an olympic athletes.

Regarding the question of MTF transwomen in sport.

Basically a fully transitioned MTF will almost always have a significant a disadvantage in endurance/aerobic competition against natal women in most sports, including cycling, running, etc.

Why? Because her body no longer produces testosterone. In fact her T-levels will be lower than natal women's t-level's. That's due to the small amounts of T that are produced in a natal woman's ovaries. Very low testosterone also greatly lowers hemoglobin levels. Hemoglobin is an oxygen transporting metalloprotein. Less oxygen to muscles = reduced aerobic performance.

In addition, muscle tone decreases significantly and body fat increases. Meanwhile she still has a heavier male skeleton to support, so power to weight ratio predictably drops also.

T levels are, as stated by the IAAF the very CRUX of the matter in deciding whether an athlete can compete. Normal/common levels for men and women aren't even close - with the top 'normal' level for women being almost 400% LOWER than the bottom 'normal' level for men.

In agreement with all the above is the Olympic organizing committee's established decision to allow MTF athletes to compete in their chosen gender at the highest level.

I can comment on the trans angle with, shall we say many years of 'personal' experience.