A summary of the science from our ICONS Rowing Team. Fairness for Females: Sex Drives Performance.
“Biological sex is the single most important determinant of athletic performance that is known.”
Dr. Ross Tucker, PhD, Physiology
Videos
There is NO scientific evidence to support males competing in the women’s category, regardless of suppression and intervention. The resources on this page are a good place to start when beginning to understand the science behind sports categories and the relevance of sex in physical contests.
Testosterone
Testosterone levels between males and females do not overlap in the absence of pathology. No female, regardless of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), will have male levels of testosterone. The impacts of testosterone on male development begin in utero, continue through infancy and explode during adolescence.
– Dr. Ross Tucker, PhD
Testosterone Suppression Studies
- Males who suppress testosterone and use feminizing hormones do not mitigate male biological advantage. See this peer reviewed medical journal article analyzing all 13 available studies at the time of publication. (Dr. Emma Hilton, PhD, Dr. Tommy Lundberg, PhD)
- Males who suppress testosterone and use feminizing hormones do not mitigate male biological advantage. The latest study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates males retain significant strength and cardio-pulmonary benefits even 14 years after transition treatments (on avg, 20% advantage).
How Do We Define Sex?
- Sex in humans is binary and immutable. There are two sexes – male and female. Every human body develops around the formation of large or small gametes (sperm or ova), whether or not they are ever produced. The developmental paths are antagonistic. There is no way to reverse, reboot or undo the pathways of development. Sex matters in sport for women to be recognized as champions and for their equal opportunity.
- Defining Sex vs. Determining Sex
- Dr. Carole Hooven, PhD, at Harvard University, Evolutionary Biology. Take a look at her book:
Sex Differences and Physiology
Women and men are equally amazing, but we are working from different biological constraints. Men have:
– Dr. Emma Hilton, PhD and Ross Tucker, PhD.
- The landscape of sex-differential transcriptome and its consequent selection in human adults
- Sex-based differences in skeletal muscle kinetics and fiber-type composition
- Sex-based differences in physiology: what should we teach in the medical curriculum?
Fast Facts
