Is this fair?

[Crunchy]

Look at the prosthetics I brought up earlier for example. There is a set of "blades" that was not allowed in competition because it was determined that there was far too much advantage, so a sports federation can simply decide to cut back the size and strength of the blades to the point where the disabled athlete will only win by a few seconds rather than winning by a huge margin...

This is the exact point, the sports federation is much better equipped to judge whether something is too advantageous or disadvantageous to the competitors, and once they have determined that, there is no need to cry foul unless someone is violating those rules.

Again, I'm asking about the rules themselves not whether it is considered fair as long as everyone follows the rules. Yes, I agree that if someone breaks the rules, it is certainly unfair.

My point is that it is now the sports federation deciding who will win, not the athletes themselves. If the disabled athletes are not doing well, crank up the settings on the devices that will allow them to win, but not by too much because... that would be unfair??  If the trans athlete is doing too well, cut back on the hormone level allowed so she doesn't win by too much? Who is deciding the winner?

My mind is not made up on this. I don't want to leave anyone out, but I also don't want to see someone's years of effort and dreams get crushed because we have decided that one person currently deserves more sympathy than another. 

I think that each sport will have to decide for themselves how to proceed, but I can't see anyway forward that is not going to be controversial.

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I'm not familiar with how this works. Is it possible to bring a transgender person's  testosterone level down? If so, then she has no unfair advantage. It's all about the hormones that make a man physically stronger than a woman (generally speaking, exceptions not withstanding).

It's a fair point, but I don't think anyone (including the best doctors) have all the answers as to how exactly hormones work or the full differences between men and women. For example, this research which shows differences in brain wiring that could also confer advantages in an area like hand eye coordination. (possibly due to our hunter/gatherer pasts)
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/me...y-120713#1



Does hormone therapy also change the wiring of the brain or just the musculature? How much bone loss and body structure reshaping occurs after transitioning? 
Also, if it's just about hormones, then women who transition to men should have just as much success in sports as men who transition to women, but I've not seen any evidence that this is the case. ( I looked and couldn't find anything, but that doesn't mean I have access to all the info)