NPR reports 'limited scientific research' on whether biological males have advantage over women in sports
World Athletics Council banned athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in women's sports
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}National Public Radio reported that "there is limited scientific research" on whether biological males have an inherent physical advantage over females in sports.
In a story about the World Athletics Council decision to ban biological male athletes from competing against women, NPR cited a 2020 Human Rights Watch report that argued the decision was based on flawed evidence.
"Even without strong evidence of an advantage, the council has scrutinized the performance of athletes such as South African runner Caster Semenya, the world’s fastest woman in the 800 meters," NPR reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Semenya, who was raised female and is legally female, was born with XY chromosomes and has a naturally high testosterone level," the outlet added.
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National Public Radio reported that "there is limited scientific research" regarding whether biological males have an inherent advantage over females in sports. (Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images / File)
Citing decisions made by international swimming and rugby governing bodies in recent years, the taxpayer-funded outlet claimed that the World Athletics Council's ruling is indicative of a larger trend of "moving away from trans inclusion" in sports.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The international governing body announced its decision last Thursday to exclude transgender female athletes who have been through male puberty from world rankings competitions.
The council added that for track and field and other running-related athletic events, its decision would bear no present consequences for athletes because there are no transgender athletes competing internationally.
WORLD ATHLETICS TO EXCLUDE TRANSGENDER FEMALE ATHLETES FROM WOMEN'S COMPETITIONS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}World Athletics President Sebastian Coe speaks during the European Athletics Young Leaders Forum at TUM Campus on Aug. 18, 2022, in Munich, Germany. (Simon Hofmann / Getty Images for European Athletics)
"The council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes, who have been through male puberty, from female world-ranking competitions from March the 31st of this year," World Athletics Council President Sebastian Coe said during a recent press conference.
Before the ban was issued last Thursday, World Athletics mandated that biological males who identify as women maintain their testosterone levels below a certain level for at least a year to compete against biological women, according to the BBC.
NPR headquarters (Brooks Kraft LLC / Corbis via Getty Images / File)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Such regulations were halted while a group assembled to conduct further research on the issue, the outlet also reported.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.