IAAF Denies 'Preventing' Women From Participating

The IAAF said that it "has not and will never" prevent women from participating in athletics, according to the BBC. It comes in response to an open letter from the Women's Sports Foundation and Athlete Ally calling for the "scrapping of proposed rules designed to address testosterone levels in female athletes." Roughly 60 leading sportswomen, including Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach, signed the letter. The proposed rules -- due to come into force on Nov. 1 -- "apply to women who race in track events from 400m up to the mile." Designed to "create a level playing field," they state some athletes with "naturally high testosterone levels" will have to take medication to "reduce testosterone or instead race against men or change events." The open letter claimed the rules "would force women to alter their bodies in order to compete in a sport they've dedicated their lives to" (BBC, 7/17).