Seema Punia’s demand will be investigated by AFI’s grievance committee

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said on Wednesday that its Grievance Committee will investigate Seema Punia’s request for a hyperandrogenism test on fellow discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, who is also Olympic-bound.

Punia, who qualified for the Olympics with a throw of 63.72 metres on the last day of the National Inter-State Championships in Patiala on Tuesday, wrote to AFI, expressing concern over Kaur’s rapid development and requesting a hyperandrogenism test. “All complaints are looked into by the Grievance Committee. The Committee will look into it,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla told PTI when asked about Punia’s letter.

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Hyperandrogenism is a disorder in which biological females have more testosterone levels than they should. It is thought to give affected athletes an advantage over non-affected athletes.

Kaur qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a then-national record throw of 65.06m at the Federation Cup in March, which she improved to 66.59m at the Indian Grand Prix 4 on June 21. Before two huge throws this year, her best was a 61.04m throw in 2018. In 2019, she set a new personal best of 60.5m. Despite Punia’s complaints, the existing World Athletics rules on female eligibility state unequivocally that they do not apply to field events.

For athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD), World Athletics defines ‘Restricted Events’ as 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, one-mile races, and any other track events over distances of 400m to one mile (inclusive), whether run alone or as part of a relay or combined event.