A transsexual is a person in which the sex-related structures of the brain that define gender identity are opposite to the physical sex organs of the body.

In May 2004, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published the Stockholm Consensus, which announced that both male-female and female-male transsexual athletes would be able to compete in the Olympic Games, beginning with the 2004 games in Athens. Until this point, cases of transsexual athletes were dealt with by the individual federation governing each sport.

This formal acknowledgment of transsexual athletes is a very important step towards equality. However, the IOC placed several important caveats on the athletes. Individuals who transitioned after puberty must have had complete surgical changes, underwent hormone therapy for at least two years, and gained legal recognition from the appropriate official authority. However, individuals who underwent gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty should be regarded as their identified gender.

These conditions for post-puberty sex reassignment are not entirely equitable for all athletes. There is currently a large global disparity in terms of access to gender reassignment surgery and legal recognition of gender identity. In many countries the surgery is either unavailable or illegal. Furthermore, surgery and hormone therapy can be prohibitively expensive, which places a large financial burden on the individual.

In December 2005, the Chair of the IOC Medical Commission confirmed that the Stockholm Consensus only applies to those events sanctioned by the IOC, which is only a small subset of all athletic competitions. Also, the consensus did not adequately evaluate the case of female-male transsexual athletes.

When transitioning from female-male, individuals will often be given the hormone testosterone. However, the administration of testosterone would be considered a doping offence under the World Anti-Doping Code. There is the question that testosterone given to male-female transsexuals would fall under a therapeutic use exemption, but there has been no firm decision governing this issue.

Thus, although the IOC does not officially discriminate against transsexual athletes, the burden of the requirements could easily be too much for an ambitious athlete.

For a copy of the Stockholm Consensus, please visit: http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_905.pdf

- Words by Peter Walker, Media Committee Journalist