The Case of Caster Part II

Well, she's back, and the controversy didn't go away and only is the rhetoric on both sides heating up. But what is added to the mix is more obvious the motive of the South African Athletic Association (SAA). According the news, she "completed" the regimen the IAAF prescribed, except it wasn't said what that was.

Going back to last year, what we know or really heard was that she had her undescended testes and no female reproductive system. Over this last year, according to the IAAF and the SAA, she had those removed and supposedly followed a regimen of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). And the SAA said, "trust us." And she didn't have to go through the two years of HRT transgender althletes are required to complete before competing again.

Except at her recent track event she blew the field away. Granted her time was considerably slower than last year and far from any world record, it was still evident that her (former?) male body is still there and the (HRT) didn't seem to work or maybe not even followed. At this point it's clear while she still thinks she's a woman (for her gender) and wants to compete as a woman, she is still mostly male.

Her advantage is that any male athlete who matures will be physically stronger (and probably faster and quicker) than comparable being and maturing female. And if she had undergone HRT, there would be significant physical changes, even for an extreme athlete. That's not evident in the video I saw of her recent races. She wasn't at her peak, and has a lot of room to improve before more imporatant events his year and next.

In other international sports, any male to female transistion for an athletes would undergo two years of HRT, so why was she allowed to return after a year? The reason is that two years would have probably wiped out her chance to be competitive. But what if she wasn't under HRT for the year? Then aside from natural reduction of testosterone, she wouldn't be much different which training could easily make up.

The is because HRT is part anti-androgen and at proper levels reduces testosterone to within the more normal range for genetic women, not at the high level bordering on low male levels. Those levels indicates the HRT was too low or not followed. Even Kristy Worley has it wrong saying Caster has congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) when she has no female reproductive system to have this condition, according the doctor who originally examined her and recommended she not go to Berlin last year.

But in reality, this isn't about her but winning. She wants to win no matter what, and if she has a physical advantage of her birth and maturity (as male), then so what. Her country wants to win. So, that's what it's really about, medals and records, and having South Africa get the recognition. She's not a pawn anymore and it's clear she doesn't care about honesty and fairness, other words she would set the record straight for all to know and prove us wrong.

But I haven't heard that, nor do I expect, except in the future when the truth is finally known and will be too late to retract the awards and records. I would like to be wrong, and the information isn't complete to know for sure, but what does exists from reliable sources tilts against her. She can let the world know, so what's the problem since it's already a public issue?

I think if she continues to win with significant margins over longtime women athletes, then the questions will continues with more fervor and the other female athletes will have a case to make to make her case public so everyone understands. As I said last year, she stepped into the spotlight, so silence isn't an answer. And as I said last year, the IAAF really screwed up, but they will have to face the music of her competition if she continues winning.

She came out of nowhere to win big and was obviously male. That hasn't changed, which means the controversy hasn't changed, along with everyone's opinion. Anyway, that's my opinion to date, and as always, subject to change with the truth and reality.