A non-binary runner was granted USADA permission to take testosterone while competing in USA Track and Field events.
Cal Calamia, 27, is a non-binary high school track and field coach in San Francisco.
This week he received confirmation from the United States Anti-Doping Agency that he had been cleared to compete in USATF events despite taking testosterone – a substance usually banned by USADA for its performance-enhancing value. Washington Post reported.
Calamia has been receiving testosterone since 2019 during his gender transition from female to nonbinary transmale. He was emailed by USADA in July to inform him that he was at risk of being sanctioned for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The exemption – which gives him the ability to compete in the non-binary category – is thought to be the first of its kind in the running world.
Cal Calamia – a non-binary runner – was granted USADA permission to take testosterone while competing in USA Track and Field events
Calamia, 27, has been taking testosterone since 2019 during his gender transition from female to non-binary transmale
The runner previously first advocated for the addition of the non-binary division at last year’s San Francisco Marathon, and he was an unpaid consultant to organizers of the non-binary category at the Boston Marathon – which introduced the new division in April.
Calamia told him Washington Post: ‘This endorsement represents a turning point in the conversation about trans athletes. Having this approval means I’m allowed to be part of this conversation without being overlooked.’
USADA’s approval was granted because athletes who have a medical reason for using testosterone are allowed to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).
It never occurred to Calamia that using gender-confirming drugs could be considered doping or that she would have to apply for a special exemption to compete in a division specifically for non-binary people.
Part of applying for a TUE for the use of testosterone by non-binary people requires proving that a diagnosed case of gender dysmorphia was the reason for the use of the potentially performance-enhancing drug. This means that applicants are required to provide a full medical history including psychological data.
Calamia said the first question on the TUE form asked applicants whether they were male or female – he said he had checked neither box.
Other medications in List of prohibited substances and methods that may require TUE verification include stimulants, narcotics, cannabinoids, beta-blockers, diuretics and beta-2 antagonists.
He was emailed by USADA in July to inform him that he was at risk of being sanctioned for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Calamia advocated for the inclusion of a non-binary division in the San Francisco Marathon last year and worked as an unpaid consultant on the creation of a non-binary category in the Boston Marathon as well.
This historic decision by USADA comes after runners transition through the reverse process controversy, because trans female runners are often thought to have an unfair advantage.
Research published by the government suggested that trans female athletes have numerous physiological advantages over biological females even after they transition into medicine.
Last August National Institutes of Health Quietly shared a review suggesting that early exposure to testosterone means trans women possess at least eight physical and mental attributes that could give them an advantage in sport – even if they make the switch relatively early.
The findings showed that trans women had greater muscle mass and bone density, which helps with strength, power and endurance, plus larger lungs and higher oxygen levels, which help with endurance, as well as increased connections in the brain. responsible for spatial awareness, which can help with dexterity.
Men transitioning to become women are often prescribed feminizing drugs that block the production of testosterone, one of the main drivers of men’s physiological advantages over women in sports.
But most of the effects caused by testosterone cannot be reversed with hormone therapy, said the review published by the NIH.
A study of 98 trans women showed that while levels in trans women fell below the previous levels of men, nearly all participants had testosterone levels that were above the average female range.
This week, a trans high school sophomore in Maine has faced criticism for competing in an all-girls 5k despite running last year as a boy.
Soren Stark-Chessa, a student at the private Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport, placed 172nd in the district as a freshman in the boys competition.
Over the past year, Stark-Chessa transitioned and now, as a sophomore, competes in the girls’ event — where she placed fourth. The last On Saturday, Stark-Chessa took fifth at the Maine XC Festival of Champions, Belfast.
Calamia said the first question on the TUE form asked applicants whether they were male or female – he said he had checked neither box
USADA’s approval was granted because athletes who have a medical reason for using testosterone are allowed to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
As Stark-Chessa raced to the finish, in a time of 5:51:3, one person can be heard yelling, ‘You cheat, bro!’
Trans athletes other than runners have also faced controversy regarding the potential advantage given them by male biology and testosterone.
Female college athletes at a Virginia university held a press conference Thursday after being forced to swim with a transgender woman.
The Roanoke College women’s swim team says they feel abandoned by university and national officials after a former member of the men’s team joined their squad last month. The case resonates strongly with that of Lia Thomas, who last year became the first trans athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.
At an event held with Riley Gaines and the Independent Women’s Forum, the team demanded that the NCAA and USA Swimming stop allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
Sophomore Carter Satterfield said, “We’re calling on the NCAA to protect female athletes and give us fair sports — in every sport. We’re calling on US Swimming to recognize that girls at every level deserve to know that they are valuable enough to be given a fair run.’
Transgender women were banned from competing in the women’s category at international athletics events.
The decision was made by World Athletics in March to ‘prioritise the fairness and integrity of women’s competition before inclusion.
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