In 2016, Breanna McNeil won Olympic gold in the 100-meter hurdles. This month, she qualified for her second U.S. Olympic team. But last summer, when the Olympics were scheduled, she missed a mandatory drug test. After being relentlessly pressed to give an excuse, she revealed the reason: she was recovering from an abortion procedure she had undergone two days earlier. She was eventually suspended for five years for "tampering with the results management process." (McNeil changed the date of the abortion procedure on the slip given to her by her doctor by one day, which she said was the wrong date.) Despite the fact that McNeil qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that it would uphold the ban. This means she is no longer eligible to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.

Last week, sprint sensation Shacharie Richardson also made headlines. The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned the use of cannabinoids, citing that ingestion is dangerous for athletes, does not comply with the "spirit of the sport," and may "enhance performance" for some athletes. (Although more definitive studies are needed, a 2017 academic review found that THC does not improve aerobic performance.)

Also this week, two 18-year-old Olympic hopefuls from Namibia, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masiringi, were deemed to have their natural testosterone levels too high, as reported by the Namibian National Olympic Committee, and thus were Olympic 400 meter dash race and were banned from the race. (Open in new tab)The ruling is based on the World Athletics Federation's policy on Athletes with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD), which requires all female competitors to have testosterone levels below a certain level when competing in certain events. This rule does not apply to male athletes. (South African 800-meter runner Caster Semenya has faced similar scrutiny in the past, and she, too, is barred from running her specialty in Tokyo (open in new tab).) The week before that, the first openly transgender woman to win the N.C.A.A. title, 400-meter hurdler CeCe Telfer, was deemed ineligible to compete in the 400-meter hurdles trials because her testosterone levels did not meet the event's eligibility rules. For men who compete, higher-than-average, naturally occurring testosterone is a competitive advantage. For women," it threatens their professional careers.

Each of these athletes faced unique challenges. Each situation requires a different solution. This is not the first time a female athlete has been shut out of competition, and the reasons are a thousand different. (American record holder Shelby Houlihan tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone and was banned from the 2021 Olympics.) But if this new wave of disqualifications tells us anything, it is that some of the sport's current guidelines are painfully and unfairly affecting women, especially women of color, and athletes who may not fit the World Athletics Federation's arbitrary gender definition That is.

Athletics needs to undertake new research, consult with experts, listen to feedback from athletes, and ultimately develop new guidelines. This task is difficult and complex. In some ways, it is uncharted territory. But that does not mean it is worthless or unnecessary. Many of the current rulings are drafted in the name of enforcing fairness. But there are ways to promote fairness in sports without trampling on athletes' rights to be treated fairly.

Now is the time to reevaluate what drugs truly and scientifically belong on the banned drug list. It is time to make the sport truly inclusive and accessible to all, including those who do not fit the prescribed gender norms. It is time to abandon performative alliances and offer support to athletes who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, athletes who are mothers, athletes who are breastfeeding, athletes who have had abortions, and athletes who are seeking reproductive care. It is time to make the mental health of all runners a top priority. It is time for a reckoning.

Track and field is not the only sport that needs a rules overhaul. (Note FINA, the international governing body for swimming, which banned swimming caps specifically designed for black women.) (Opens in new tab) But this is a good start. It will not be easy and will require time, energy, and resources, but a critical evaluation and rethinking of current policies will benefit the future of the sport and its athletes. While we congratulate the amazing athletes who deserve to win medals racing on the track at the Tokyo Olympics, we must also remember those who never got a chance to get to the starting line. We must remember to build a better future for them and for those who continue to run behind them.