I heard the news today that Shanti Sounderajan, an Indian silver medalist in the 800 at the Asia Games, had had her medal stripped from her because she failed a gender test. The panel that evaluates such things consists of a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist and internal medicine specialist. They determined that she had an abnormally high Y chromosome count, or something of that nature. They still ruled out that she had had a gender-changing operation.
This is the first time that I have really heard anything about somebody failing a gender test. I tend to wonder how they can strip a medal from somebody if the test is not compulsory to begin with?
My real question, though, is whether only women are subject to gender tests? Are men tested as well?
(Source: ESPN.com – Sports Illustrated)
Evidently there is no advantage for a woman transgendered or not to run in a man’s race. Where as, the other way around is considered cheating. If she didn’t have a sex change operation, then I’m not sure in my mind they had grounds….
Yeah, it seemed like a silly situation. Of course, I have never heard of a woman being disqualified for not being a woman before, though.