Not to long ago, during the 2009 Berlin Olympics, a female South African Olympian, named Caster Semenya, fell victim to the accusations and unavoidable media scrutiny resulting from the enforcement of these policies.
The questionable suspicion surrounding the promising young female athlete was not prompted by any deceptive or unethical behavior on her part, but rather unsubstantiated rumors inferring that her unparalleled athleticism, as well as her defining physical features, were "too masculine" to allow her to compete among her fellow female Olympians. Officially, justifications for these inconceivably offensive accusations are attributed to less subjective scientific measures, specifically, an athlete's unique levels of testosterone and androgen receptors. The official rules state that women who have levels of testosterone that are equal to a man will be prohibited from competing in the Olympic Games against other women. The IOC, however, does not specify what a normal level of testosterone is for a woman, nor do they clarify the terms of ineligibility that any subsequent violations might invoke. Supposedly, the true intention of these policies is to ensure the equality of participants, promote fair competition, and circumvent any maliciously deceptive or fraudulent behavior. Apparently, the notion that Semenya's conventionally masculine physical characteristics give her an unfair advantage in competition with her fellow female athletes, threatens the fragile equality of competition afforded by traditional gender divisions.
Below you can see a video clip from one of the many television interviews with Semenya following these traumatic events:
In reading further, I was reminded of issues pertaining to stereotypical gender roles, specifically notions of the double standard, as discussed in the works of both Ward(1995) and Kim et. al.(2007). The Olympic games are known for promoting unity and providing a level playing field upon which the best of the best can compete for international glory. The only real segmentation of competitors occurs along gender lines, justified by claims that these divisions are necessary to protect the best athletes from the female gender from being overlooked in favor of male athletes, less deserving of the recognition. Assuming the athlete was not illegally doping or using performance enhancers of any kind, does it seem fair that any woman whose traditionally masculine characteristics might arguably enhance her athleticism, have to fear disqualification for reasons beyond their control. Doesn't it seem that a rule such as this might defeat the purpose of seperating competitions by gender in the first place? For that matter, would the IOC show equal concern in the event that a male competitor, exhbiting traditionally feminine qualities, might posses an unfair advantage in events valuing that trait, for instances figure skating?
Upon further investigation, I came to realize that this genre of media spectacles is by no means a recent development. Interestingly, Olympic history is littered with similar instances of publicly scrutinized gender discrepancies and alleged sexual discrimination, dating back nearly a half century. For the most part, it appears that female athletes have helplessly endured outspoken public accusations of this nature for almost as long as they've been allowed to compete. For instance, I would imagine that most, if not all of you, are likely familiar with the famous African-American female tennis superstars, Venus and Serena Williams. These undeniably talented twin sister athletes blew spectators minds when they first burst onto the professional tennis scene over a decade ago. The astoundingly athletic and intensely competitive Williams sisters quickly skyrocketed to the the top of the rankings, consistently annihilating challengers on the court with an unrelenting intensity beyond anything the sport had ever seen. Their impressive exhibitions of unprecedented athleticism transcended those of their more traditional fellow female athletes, thrusting them into the media spotlight, as they rose to the top tier of competition. So much so, that during formal competitions, they consistently outperformed and outlasted the majority of opponents, leaving the sisters to compete against one another for first place. These repeated displays of unparalleled physical prowess undoubtedly earned them nominations for the U.S. Olympic Tennis team. Theirs is an inspiring story of dedication and perseverance in the face of adversity; a real life representation of just how much you can achieve with hard work, extreme dedication, and a positive outlook. Unfortunately, as many of us know, even relatively mild media hype surrounding these higher profile individuals inevitably invites public criticism, often exacerbated by unwanted press coverage and potentially negative long-lasting repercussions. Despite their inspiring story, the impressive scope of their accomplishments, and the positive examples they they set as role models, there have been several instances in which even these well respected American female tennis legends still fall prey to the same variety of slanderous accusations and prejudicial sensationalized misrepresentations. This kind of attention can attract a lot of negative attention, the result of which can be lasting damage to an individuals reputation and self-esteem.
The IOC began subjecting female athletes to gender tests in the 1960s, with “nude parades” that were exactly what they sound like: female competitors made to walk naked before a panel of judges. The IOC later realized, what’s on the outside doesn’t always match what’s on the inside, so the committee moved on to chromosome testing. Once it was shown that women can have a single X chromosome (just as men can have two of them) that was abandoned as well. Then came SRY gene detection (the gene that triggers male sex determination), but after the Atlanta games, in which 8 women tested positive for it, and all were cleared for competition, this method, too, was deemed insufficient. A decade ago, the committee decided to chuck the testing altogether. But in the wake of Semenya’s case, and the international scrutiny it prompted, the IOC announced that it would try, once again, to devise a way to decisively determine what makes a woman a woman, or in this case what makes a woman not a woman.
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Update: A short while after writing this post, I actually stumbled upon two articles discussing a similar event in which a male figure skater was actually accused and found guilty of estrogen doping Im hesitant to take these at their word however, as neither come from any widely recognized publication or credible source beknownst to me. Have a look perhaps.
These are those sources:
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/open-chat/56994-estrogen-abuse-among-male-figure-skaters.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=HJNPZe45Rc4C&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=Blaine+Myles+estrogen&source=bl&ots=OFDW0Wz_jO&sig=f__4CsUjHxIp-FYG0c-dejKD86c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iowhULOlH4Pu0gGskICQCg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Blaine%20Myles%20estrogen&f=false
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