How can performance data resolve the arbitration of sensitive matters in the world of sports? In the absence of experimental data (ie, clinical trials), researchers must build an argument based on correlations in observational data. Such data are often not widely available. The Dutee Chand v. AFI & IAAF case is a case in point (box 1).1 Box ### Background on the Dutee Chand v. AFI & IAAF case IAAF Hyperandrogenism Regulations were in place from 1 May 2011 to 24 July 2015 when they were suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The regulations stated that female athletes who naturally produce levels of testosterone >10 nmol/L were not eligible to compete in the female category and need to take androgen-suppressive drugs to resume competition. Dutee Chand, an Indian sprinter, was asked to abide by these regulations in July 2014 and appealed to CAS on grounds that the regulations unfairly discriminated against women who naturally produced higher levels of testosterone. CAS was not satisfied with the evidence IAAF provided and hence suspended the regulations on 24 July 2015, but allowed the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) up to 2 years (later extended) to submit additional evidence on the correlation between endogenous levels of testosterone and athletic performance. The regulations currently remain suspended until 19 July …

In November 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reached a consensus on “Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism” allowing transgender athletes to compete after one year of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and without sex reassignment surgery (SRS). These recommendations have been applauded by some who argue that these guidelines are supported by the limited scientific data and are in line with current social and legal recognition on transgender issues. There are however, many who oppose allowing transgender women to compete against cisgender women under any conditions, especially in those cases where gonadectomy has not been performed. While much of this opposition is based on a lack of understanding of the transformative nature of HRT, there are also those who have legitimate concerns over the paucity of scientific studies to support the new IOC guidelines

The purpose of this study was to assess the veracity of the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s assertion that sex-differences in athletic performance in elite-standard track and field competition is of the order of 10–12%. Exponential curves were fitted to the data of selected track and field events of the finals of all IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games from 1983 to 2016. For each curve, the coefficient of determination R² was calculated, in combination the corresponding 95% confidence intervals for the curve constants. Sex-differences were evaluated via differences in the fitted curves between men and women. Mean performances of winners, as well as overall performance means of all participants, were also analyzed. The calculated sex-difference was 8.2 ± 1.0% – 11.8 ± 2.1% for sprints, 10.3 ± 3.3% – 12.8 ± 4.0% for middle and long-distance events, 9.7 ± 2.9% – 13.1 ± 2.9% for relays and 14.2 ± 2.2% – 25.0 ± 4.4% for jumps. This study therefore confirms that the percentage difference accepted by the CAS is appropriate for elite-standard track and field events.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the difference in elite-standard track and field performance between women athletes with and without hyperandrogenism reaches the 10–12% difference in performance between men and women, using only results from elite-standard track and field final competitions. Officially available data from two hyperandrogenic women (Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand) were compared with the characteristic performance of 200m and 800m elite-standard finals. The finishing times of Caster Semenya, before her ineligibility to compete in 2009 and after the suspension of the 2011 IAAF Hyperandrogenism Regulations were found to be respectively 1.24% and 1.49% faster than the predicted performance in 800m finals. When compared with the result of the second classified, the difference was respectively 0.65% and 2.08%. The analysis of the finishing times of Dutee Chand did not lead to any conclusions due to the lack of available data. The present study indicates that the percentage difference in performance between women with and women without hyperandrogenism does not reach the 3% difference requested by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the reinstatement of the Hyperandrogenism Regulations, neither does it reach the 10% accepted range of difference in performance between men and women.

Doping continues to be one of the biggest risks to the credibility of elite sports, and its practice remains widespread among athletes despite improved controls. Athletes’ support personnel could be key to preventing doping behavior. In this sense, anti-doping education for this population appears as a possible strategy to reduce doping behaviors in elite sport, but these programs must be evaluated and designed based on scientific evidence. The aim of this research is to explore the impact of an anti-doping education program about substances perceived efficacy, ill-health short- and long-term effects, and the morality of doping substance use in Spanish sports sciences students. Method: A total of 145 students of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (PASS) from different Spanish universities who took an online anti-doping educational course of the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission (CELAD) answered a questionnaire on their perceptions about doping before, after, and four months later. Results: The results show that the course reduced students’ ignorance about the effects of substances on performance and health and increased their moral judgment and feelings against doping. Discussion: The results are in line with previous research that showed that the moral stance against doping can be improved through educational programs. Conclusion: Online educational interventions can be effective in reducing doping behavior, so their future implementation among ASP can be an effective strategy to reduce doping behavior.

Background: Combining sports and studies could be stressful, but beneficial for the athletes’ career development. This study explores resources and barriers in the combination of the sports and academic life spheres during the lifespan of elite Spanish track-and-field athletes. Methods: Seven elite Spanish track-and-field athletes participated in a semistructured interview about their experiences to establish a dual career combining sports and studies/work. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) followed to analyze data. Results: Findings show that elite Spanish track-and-field athletes face educational and institutional barriers to developing a dual career. Time management, social support, and additional resources could play a key role in the success or failure to develop a dual career. Conclusions: This study shows that, to overcome dual-career barriers, athletes are resourceful if social support is provided at both the micro (coaches, families, etc.) and macro (political and educational institutions) levels. It also shows that pursuing an academic career can help in alleviating inherent tensions to athletic life and in finding personal balance.