2003 - Transgender Guidelines
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) determined that transgender athletes, whether male to female or female to male, were required to have had a sex reassignment surgery and have had two years of hormone therapy before they are allowed to compete. They also had to be within the given hormone ranges that the IOC determined as male or female.
"Transgender British athletes born male set to make Olympic history by competing in the games as women"
-Daily Mail Article
My Take...
With progress comes backlash; it is just human nature. When transgender athletes were finally allowed to compete in the olympics people fought back. First, they were forced to have sexual reassignment surgery. This is a purely aesthetic surgery that has nothing to do with performance enhancement. Fortunately, the International Olympic Committee did realize that in 2015 and edited the guidelines. However, I am very disappointed in the fact that although we have allowed transgender athletes to compete according to the guidelines society has not accepted them yet. If a country sends a transgender athlete to the olympics it still makes headlines as seen above. People should be judged on the quality of their character and athletes should be judged on the quality of their effort, not the gender they decide to identify and compete as. However, I am happy with the rest of the IOC's guidelines and I agree that the hormone therapy is the best solution to create a level playing field.
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