Shot putter opposes World Athletics' proposal for transgender female athletes: 'Serious disadvantage'

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Amelia Strickler, a 24-year-old British-American shot putter who won a silver medal in the 2017 British Athletics Championships, said Wednesday that World Athletics’ rules for governing trans athletes put biological women at a disadvantage.

World Athletics announced a proposal that capped the maximum amount of testosterone at 2.5 nanomoles per liter of blood. The previous amount was 5 nanomoles for a year. The threshold is now set at two years. The governing body for track and field said using testosterone limits was its "preferred option."

The new proposal breaks from the governing bodies of swimming, rugby union and rugby league which have essentially barred those who have gone through male puberty to compete in an elite women’s sport.

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Amelia Strickler, of Great Britain, competes in the qualification round of Women's Shot Put during the European Athletics Indoor Championships at Torun Arena on March 4, 2021 in Torun, Poland. (Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images)

The rules did not sit well with Strickler, who said the eligibility requirements still put women at a disadvantage.

"The effects of the hormones and hormone replacements are not going to take away that male puberty advantage, and it would leave us women at a serious disadvantage," Strickler told BBC Radio 5 Live on Wednesday.

"It is happening at grassroots level in Parkruns and club-level athletics. It is a ripple effect, one person taking a woman's place and those results, it all matters to people. … this will be in elite athletics sooner than we think."

Strickler said she did not feel like she would have any other choice than to accept the rules if officials vote for them come March.

England's Amelia Strickler competes during the Women's shot put final athletics event at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham on day six of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, central England, on Aug. 3, 2022. (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

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"Do I have a choice? The document was shocking to me after (World Athletics president) Seb Coe showed a lot of support for FINA, who decided to do an open and female category in swimming," she said. "I was quite shocked they were going to allow it to continue, even if they are making the rules more strict.

"It is just something that me, my peers and my colleagues - we all work hard day in, day out - we don't want to see this happen. I hope people will just see an open category is still fair and inclusive but we do have to protect female sport and we have to make sure women are not at such a disadvantage."

FINA, the governing body for international swimming, altered its transgender eligibility rules at the height of the scrutiny around Lia Thomas’ ability to participate in the NCAA and conference championships in early 2022. FINA’s "gender inclusion policy" will only permit swimmers who transitioned before the age of 12 to compete in women’s events.

Coe praised FINA’s efforts at the time, despite the backlash.

Amelia Strickler, of Thames Valley Harriers, competes in the Womens Shot Put during the Muller UK Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena on June 26, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

"We have always believed that biology trumps gender, and we will continue to review our regulations in line with this," he said in the middle of last year.

Strickler received support for her stance from some British athletes on social media but said there are more who back her but have not come out publicly.

"Athletics is not (soccer), we don't make big money. The contracts and funding matter. A lot of people don't want to jeopardize that and don't want to be called transphobic," she added.

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"That is not about not including people - that is certainly not what I'm saying. I just think we need to protect the female sex and female sport."