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In 2009 during the Berlin World Championships, Usain Bolt took over the world, breaking two world records, but what I didn’t know was that I was about to witness the beginning of aphenomenal career.

What I was about to witness was the beginning of a war between athlete and governing body. Very seldomly do we see athletes so good that it's their greatness that culminates in the ruination of their career. We’ve seen the likes of Andy Murray, bruised by injuries, the New England Patriots’ Aaron hernendez end up in prison and Zinadine Zidane end his hopes for World Cup glory with a headbutt, but how many athletes have suffered for their amazing performances?

Caster Semenya won the 800m title during that championship with a dominant performance finishing clear of all rivals. However, 24 hours later, newspapers were reporting on the scrutiny her performance had received. Imagine winning a race by 20 metres, only to read in newspapers that your performance was a bit too good. So, what was the issue? Well…. Caster Semenya is an intersex woman who was assigned the gender of female at birth with an XY chromesone. As a result, her testosterone levels are naturally higher, also called hyperandrogenism.

To give some context, the presence of a Y chromosome in mammals triggers male development. When there is no Y chromosome, the fetus undergoes development as a female. The SRY (Sex-determining region Y) gene is responsible for the initiation of male sex determination as a result of the Y chromosone being present. Now, the XY gonadal dysgenesis happens in people who are externally female. Semenya was confirmed to have a Disorder of Sexual Development (DSD) which can either produce excess androgen (hormones that play a role in male traits such as testosterone) or impaired androgen synthesis in the case of Caster Semenya.

After having won her gold medal at the 2009 World Championshsips, she was made to undergo sex testing which would assess her hormone levels. After the tests, she was cleared to compete. Years later, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) published rule changes which state that female athletes whose bodies produce high levels of testosterone must take medication to lower those levels. Semenya lodged an appeal, only to have it rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Therefore, Semenya can not compete unless she takes medication to lower her levels of testosterone. One competitor went as far as saying “These kinds of people should not run with us. For me, she is not a woman. She is a man”. The question is, Is this fair? Should we change or alter the genetic make-up of others in sport?

Vox.com commented that the discrimination Semenya has faced is an example of how people who defy gender norms are treated. It’s common for us to reject what we don’t understand, fearing our own success is under threat. In our superheroes origin stories, the hero is often discriminated against, hated and misunderstood as they possess a power that many don't understand. We all possess physical characteristics that make us unique and in some instances, give us an advantage. The example of Michale Phelps has been used on occasions. Phelps’ long arms give him an advantage in swimming, yet no one has suggested his arms be shortened.

How can we penalise athletes for natural performance advantages? The answer is, we can’t. Experts have gone as far as saying that there isn’t sufficient evidence to suggest testosterone in females provides a significant advantage in the 400, 800 and 1500 metre disciplines. So where does that lead us? Caster Semenya arguably had a chance of becoming one of if not the greatest middle distance runners of all-time. Some may have argued that her high levels of testosterone would’ve been the reason for her achieving that status, were it to happen. But when does sport become too intrusive, too manipulative and frankly, hateful?

I urge you to put yourself in Caster Semenya’s shoes, where no one cared about your levels of testosterone till you started winning. Where you've been banned from being you and the only way to compete is to not be you. At birth, Semenya didn’t pick between being a male or a female, but what she did pick was sport. We’ve seen communities brought together by sport, we’ve seen sports teams heal national divides through sport, we’ve seen warring nations brought together by sport. On this occasion, has sport failed? Or rather, have those that govern sport failed? The reality is this, a world class athlete cannot compete simply because we don’t fully understand the differences in her which make her great. This issue is why Sport for Social Change is relevant. Sport has changed and healed many divides in this world. This is a divide that we are yet to change and heal.


Sport and Social Change BA (Hons)

Help shape a more inclusive and healthy society by studyign a degree that will give you an understanding the wider social role of sport and developing sports programmes that create positive changes to meet the needs of the 21st century.

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