Elite-level athletes are born with all sorts of genetic advantages. Some are related to lungs and hearts, some to muscles and body type. Michael Phelps couldn’t have been better built in a laboratory for swimming, from leg length to wingspan. Usain Bolt, that wonder, has an innate biological edge to go along with cultural factors that benefit Jamaican runners. There’s no such thing as a level playing field.

So, I’m puzzled when a female competitor with a hormone level that’s naturally elevated into what’s considered male territory is held up to scrutiny. Apart from having to do with sexual characteristics, how is it any different?

The Indian sprinter Dutee Chand, who has high natural levels of testosterone, has thankfully been ruled eligible to compete despite protests. From John Branch at the New York Times:

The final appeals court for global sports on Monday further blurred the line separating male and female athletes, ruling that a common factor in distinguishing the sexes — the level of natural testosterone in an athlete’s body — is insufficient to bar some women from competing against females.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland, questioned the athletic advantage of naturally high levels of testosterone in women and immediately suspended the “hyperandrogenism regulation” of track and field’s governing body. It gave the governing organization, known as the I.A.A.F., two years to provide more persuasive scientific evidence linking “enhanced testosterone levels and improved athletic performance.”
 
The court was ruling on a case, involving the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand, that is the latest demonstration that biological gender is part of a spectrum, not a this-or-that definition easily divided for matters such as sport. It also leaves officials wondering how and where to set the boundaries between male and female competition.
 
The issue bemuses governing bodies and riles fans and athletes. Among those who testified in support of the I.A.A.F. policy was the British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, who holds the event’s world record among women. According to the ruling, Radcliffe said that elevated testosterone levels “make the competition unequal in a way greater than simple natural talent and dedication.” She said that other top athletes shared her view.•