Dutee failed test conducted to check androgen level: SAI

Seeking to put an end to the controversy around sprinter Dutee Chand, Sports Authority of India on Wednesday confirmed the athlete had failed the test that was conducted to check the level of androgen in her body. ‘We have conducted such a test on one athlete. For confidentiality protocol, the name cannot be disclosed. She will not be allowed to compete in the female category. The test simply tells us that she has excess androgen in her body and is therefore not eligible to compete in the female category,’ SAI said in a statement. Dutee Chand’s last-minute exclusion from the Indian athletics team for the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games on Tuesday led to speculation over the outcome of the test she reportedly underwent recently in Bangalore. There were speculations that she had undergone a gender test but SAI ‘reiterated that these test results do not determine her gender’. ‘SAI has conducted this test following regulations set by international sport organisations like IAAF and IOC for governing eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism to compete in the women’s competition. We have simply followed the guidelines provided by the IAAF and the IOC. This test does not determine the athlete’s gender,’ SAI said.