Jannat, Kabita banned after failing gender test, all medals revoked

The Bangladesh Athletics Federation has permanently banned Bangladesh Army athlete Jannat Begum and Bangladesh Navy athlete Kabita Roy from competing in the women's division. Additionally, the federation has decided to revoke all medals and records they have earned in women's events to date, reallocating them to the athletes who finished in the subsequent positions.

The country's governing body for athletics announced this decision in a press release on Saturday (August 15).

According to the federation's notice, questions were raised in 2024 regarding the eligibility of Jannat and Kabita to compete in the women's category. Following complaints lodged by the Army and Navy, a special medical board was formed to conduct physical and hormonal examinations.

Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) formed a five-member expert medical board on September 10, 2025. After a period of evaluations, the testing process concluded on May 11, 2026, and the final report was submitted to the federation on May 16.

The federation stated that the medical board's report identified physical characteristics related to 46,XY DSD (Differences of Sex Development) in both 28-year-old Jannat Begum and 19-year-old Kabita Roy. The report also noted the presence of penoscrotal hypospadias and gonads in the inguinal canal for both athletes.

Hormone tests further revealed that testosterone levels for both individuals exceeded the permissible limit set for competition in the women's category, according to the federation.

Jannat's testosterone level was recorded at 19.66 nmol/L, while Kabita's was found to be 16.50 nmol/L. Under World Athletics DSD regulations, athletes participating in relevant women's events must maintain testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L continuously for 24 months.

Based on the medical board's report and World Athletics regulations, the executive committee unanimously decided during its second meeting to permanently ban Jannat and Kabita from competing as female athletes.

In accordance with the federation's decision, a total of 11 medals won by Jannat Begum have been canceled, including two new national records set in javelin throw and discus throw. This comprises eight gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

Meanwhile, medals won by Kabita Roy in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter relay events have also been revoked, which includes two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

The Athletics Federation stated that the revoked medals will be redistributed according to the rules among the athletes who finished in the respective runner-up positions in those competitions.