London 2012 Olympics: is measuring athletes’ ‘femaleness’ ever acceptable?
By Sam Murphy
June 14th, 2012
Sport is not a level playing field. If some athletes have ‘better’ hormones, then surely that’s the same as having better genes
London 2012 Olympics: is measuring athletes’ ‘femaleness’ ever acceptable?
Sport is not a level playing field. If some athletes have ‘better’ hormones, then surely that’s the same as having better genes
It’s a stressful time for any Olympic contender right now, as they focus on peaking at the right time, steering clear of injuries and preparing mentally for the ultimate contest. But some female athletes have an extra thing to worry about: gender authentication.
You may remember the furore surrounding the South African 800m runner Caster Semenya when, in 2009, she who won the world championships in Berlin by a huge 2-second margin. Even before the medals had been handed out, Semenya’s authenticity as a woman was being questioned and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) confirmed that gender verification tests were being undertaken. While Semenya’s case was being reviewed by the IAAF she was banned from competition, but did not escape the glare of media speculation (one headline asked “Woman, man or a little bit of both?”). Although the IAAF never made its findings public, it was widely reported that Semenya had both male and female sex organs and testosterone levels three times higher than typically found in a woman. Semenya got to keep her medal and, after an 11-month hiatus, the right to continue competing against other women. Through her legal representatives, she stated at the time: “I have been subjected to unwarranted and invasive scrutiny of the most intimate and private details of my being.”
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Published June, 2012
