French native Halba Diouf is upset that World Athletics has banned transgender women from participating in women’s sports at the Summer 2024 Paris Olympics to “protect the female category.”
Diouf, born a male, had been looking forward to running for her home country as she had been training for the 200-meter race.
The sprinter began treatment to transition as an adult in 2021, but it was all for nothing as she won’t get to compete in next summer’s games.
Diouf sounded off on the decision, citing previous rules and regulations that said trans women and athletes with differences in sex development could run in events between 400 meters and the mile if their levels of natural plasma testosterone are below five nanomoles per liter.
“I cannot understand this decision as transgender women have always been allowed to compete if their testosterone levels were below a certain threshold,” Diouf told Reuters in an interview.
“The only safeguard transgender women have is their right to live as they wish and we are being refused that, we are being hounded… I feel marginalized because they are excluding me from competitions.”
Diouf’s endocrinologist, Alain Berliner, said the 21-year-old “is a woman, from a physiological, hormonal, and legal point of view.
“Her testosterone levels are currently below those found on average in women who were born as women…” he said, showing Reuters the results of her blood samples dated May 2.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral Olympics stories via Google! Follow Us
Diouf, a practicing Muslim who loves shopping and wears mini-skirts as well as long djellaba robes, said she had not kept any pictures of her as a boy.
Diouf may be upset, but World Athletics has no regrets about its decision, saying it was made to keep competition fair.
“Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said when the decision was made.
Thanks to the decision by World Athletics, her tale is instead one of immense frustration and disappointment.
The Paris Games kick off on July 26, 2024.
