– It will be exciting. I’m happy … And then I’m a little scared, Nathaporn Kritkamchon (25) tells news. She is back in a guest visit for Skjetten Volleyball, over two and a half years since she stopped the top effort. The reason: When Skjetten was promoted to the Eliteserien, Nathaporn was no longer allowed to play for the team. – It was very sad. My dream of investing further in volleyball … One began to lose motivation. Maybe it was time for me to give up and find something else to do? In the beginning, it was not something I wanted, but I chose to end my career. Kritkamchon was born young, but from an early age the volleyball player knew she was born in the wrong body. Kritkamchon started taking female hormones as a 14-year-old and has played for Skjetten Volleyball since she was 13. There was never any doubt that she would play on the girls’ team. THE SKETCH: Nathaporn Kritkamchon (left) together with two teammates before the match. The team was relegated to the first division again after one season in the elite series. – Not natural to wear the collar to the IOC When she was 17, the club started applying for a license for her to play in the first division. She was allowed to, but the club had to apply annually. Skjetten Volleyball agreed that Kritkamchon did not have permission to play at the elite league level or in the NM. But in January 2020, the club saw the reality of a promotion and Kritkamchon had also been approved for a legal gender change. Then the club asked what was needed for Nathaporn to be allowed to play in the elite series. The Norwegian Volleyball Federation (NVBF) and NIF presented the following guidelines: The athlete has declared that her gender identity is female. The athlete must document that her testosterone level has been below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months before her first competition. The athlete’s testosterone level must also remain below 10 nmol/L throughout the period the athlete competes. Follow-up of these conditions can be followed up by testing. In the event of non-compliance with requirements for testing, the athlete’s ability to compete may be suspended for 12 months. The guidelines correspond to those from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In April 2020, promotion was a fact. SPORTS LEAGUE LEADER: Gro Erdal. Sporting leader in Skjetten Volleyball Gro Erdal tells news that she is surprised that NIF and NVFB use guidelines from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when there was no question of national team games: – This is how I perceive volleyball in Norway, including the elite, so it is hobby game. You don’t make money on it. It costs us money to run it. I also did not imagine that it was natural to use the IOC collar on elite volleyball in Norway. In addition, Erdal believes that the information from the federation did not clarify how often Kritkamchon had to test his testosterone level: – Nathaporn had to be tested regularly, but they were never able to tell what the regular intervals were. What time of day should we take it? Once a month? Which week?, says Erdal. ADVISOR: Håvard B. Øvregård. Photo: KETIL KERN / news Håvard B. Øvregård is senior adviser for value work at NIF and has followed the case to Kritkamchon. Øvregård does not agree that the guidelines were unclear or came too late: – In conversation with Gro Erdal from Skjetten Volleyball Club, I have given her information all the way since 2015 about what the rules are both at the grassroots level and at the top sports level. This includes information about the new rules that came in January 2016, which set requirements for testosterone levels to be documented for 12 months, so the club has been aware of this. Hoping for a dispensation Kritkamchon started testing the testosterone level after the promotion, in the hope that NVBF and NIF would make an exception. – I can’t turn back time. Had I known this in advance, at the start of the season in the first division, I would have taken the blood tests for all the months they demanded, she says. Erdal thought Kritkamchon would be exempted from the rules, since the series start in the elite series was in October of the same year. But she didn’t get that. JOY OF SPORTS FOR ALL: That is the motto of NIF. Here we see Kritkamchon with jersey number 10 in action. – Of course, when you move up in April and the start of the season is in October, you didn’t manage to get 12 months of testing in there. I thought that was unfair. New breaking work Nathaporn was among the first trans people at national top sports level in Norway. – In these types of cases, it is difficult for athletes because they are pioneers and among the first to challenge the regulations for sport. We try to help in the best way. It is clear that it is more difficult for an athlete who is among the first in an area than athletes who can follow in the footsteps of others, says Øvregård. AMONG THE FIRST: Kritkamchon believes that sport should first and foremost be inclusive. He is clear that there is a difference between top sports and grassroots sports. – In athletics, we want everyone to be able to participate in the gender category they identify as. In top sports, you must follow the rules laid down by the IOC and the international federations, says Øvregård. – Our vision is sports enjoyment for everyone. It is important to us that sport should include both cis and trans people, says Øvregård. Kritkamchon agrees: – The purpose of sport is for everyone to be included. That one should have fun and I think that should be the focus here.
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