#genderverification

Female athletes ask themselves this question throughout the process of sex- testing, distributed by the International Olympic Committee. “The IOC has informally encouraged sex-testing since the 1936 Olympics, and formally since the 1968 Games. At first there was the visual exam, where female athletes had their genitals inspected by “qualified” experts to ensure they were all indeed female”. (Forsyth, 2016). Only female athletes have to partake in a sex test, as being a being female and good at sport is abnormal in society.

As quoted by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, “I do not approve of the participation of women in the public competition. In the Olympic Games, their primary role should be to crown the victors”. (Naimark, 2014). Opinions like this are the reason why sex testing occurred in the first place. Big sport organisations attempted to exclude women whose performances were above expectations by establishing gender verifications, which suspected them of fraud. (Müller, 2016). Successful female athletes were suspected of not being a woman, for the simple reason of performing above their gender expectations at sport.

For women to participate in the Olympic Games they must fall within the IOC’s prescribed range. “People who are chromosomally XX and living as legal women should compete as female Olympic athletics, no matter what their bodies look like and no matter their testosterone levels”. (Schaffer, 2012). So, if a woman’s test results come back XY, (the normal makeup for a man) they are unable to compete in the Olympic Games as a female athlete. However, those men who are tested XX (the normal makeup for a woman) can still participate as a male athlete. Why is this the case?

“The IOC forged on, saying all this testosterone gives these females an unfair advantage over other females whose testosterone levels aren’t as high”. (Forsyth, 2016). Thus, we have established that testosterone is associated with performance enhancement and it is particularly male, which ties nicely with the society views on women on average performs less well than men. Yet, it is fair for men with low natural levels of testosterone to compete against men with high levels? Nevertheless, why is this only an issue for female athletes? In addition, those who do not fall within the IOC prescribed range face extreme consequences e.g. disqualification.

Spanish hurdler Maria José Martínez-Patiño was a growing successful athlete in women’s track and field events, with visions of competing in the Olympic Games. In 1985, her visions were no longer achievable as a discovery had be made that she had a Y chromosome, which resulted in her being disqualified from competing with women. (Sánchez, Martínez-Patiño and Vilain, 2013). “I was born and raised in northern Spain. I had the life of a normal girl, expect that I had an affinity for running and jumping”. (Martínez-Patiño, 2005). 2 months after failing the sex-test, doctors came to the conclusion that she had a complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), which prevented her body from responding correctly to testosterone and caused her to develop as a woman. (Bardin, 2012). This diagnose is the reason why her test results came back XY. After 3 years of being exposed to intense medical and media scrutiny, Maria diagnoses was stated as ‘incapable of benefiting from the presence of the Y chromosome’, therefore in 1988,  she was given her license back to run again as a woman. Just because a woman has a masculine physique and/or are good at their chosen sport, does this mean they are not female enough to be a woman in sporting society?

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References:

Forsyth, J. (2016). Olympic Sex-Testing Is Violence Against Women. [Online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/janice-forsyth/olympic-sex-testing_b_11310150.html [Accessed 7 Nov. 2017].

Martínez-Patiño, M. (2005). Personal Account: A woman tried and tested. The Lancet, 366, p.S38.

Müller, M. (2016). Constructing Gender Incommensurability in Competitive Sport: Sex/Gender Testing and the New Regulations on Female Hyperandrogenism. Human Studies, 39(3), pp.405-431.

Naimark, M. (2014). Sex Verification in Women’s Sports Is Humiliating and Unnecessary. [Online] Available at: http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/07/31/sex_verification_in_sports_why_is_competing_as_a_woman_all_about_testosterone.html [Accessed 7 Nov. 2017].

Sánchez, F., Martínez-Patiño, M. and Vilain, E. (2013). The New Policy on Hyperandrogenism in Elite Female Athletes is Not About “Sex Testing”. Journal of Sex Research, 50(2), pp.112-115.