Institutional cowardice at every level

ses is female, and to provide evidence that their total testosterone level in serum has been below 10 nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months.” The upper limit of the standard female range is 2.4.

Any future changes, WPA declared, would only be contemplated “after taking into consideration the rights and best interests of all those involved”. But this is a policy that appears predicated purely on the interests of Petrillo. It shows scant regard for the thoughts of Yaqin Shen of China or Venezuela’s Alejandra Perez Lopez, the two athletes drawn in the same Monday morning heat, or to any of the other women who could lose out on a medal because of a warped prioritising of inclusion over fairness. Not even a month after the Olympic boxing eligibility row, sport is about to hurl itself back into a maelstrom of its own making.