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Published online 20 August 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.850
News: Briefing
A question of sex
Nature explains the science behind the latest gender row in sport.
Caster Semenya's victory in the 800-metre final at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding her sex. After the race on 19 August, the International Association of Athletics Federations announced that they had asked Semenya to undergo tests to verify that she was female, with IAAF spokesman Nick Davies describing the tests as "extremely complex, difficult".
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The reason all this hype around caster is happing is because she is a black african,people are overblowing this and will destroy her career.
It has nothing to do with her race. The problem is that visually, it's not very difficult for people to envision a somewhat masculine-looking physique. I think it's awful that they're questioning her gender, when it seems that there's overwhelming evidence she's a female.
we can obviously see that the lines of gender are being erased further and further as time goes on, it will only be a matter of time when gender will no longer divide the species in athletic events, hopefully sooner than later, all about equality right
I agree that gender lines are being continually blurred and it is more of a continuum than two discrete entities. So given that "the crux of the matter is that the athlete should not be enjoying the benefits of natural testosterone predominance normally seen in a male," why don't they just measure testosterone levels and set an upper limit for anyone who wants to compete as a female?
Well it's really not as simple as using a limit on testosterone production. Not only are there several other proteins that regulate testosterone activity, but there are a plethora of other hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters that all influence performance. Not to mention structural differences between men and women, etc...
It's a very complicated issue but in the end, sport is really only moderately fair. What I mean by that is there are people that are genetically suited for particular activities. Those people, given they take the voluntary steps necessary to realize those advantages, will typically excel over others without such advantages.
If you have these beneficial traits, all the more power to you.
I for one don't see that the gender lines have been all that blurred. Simply put,in the lack of some genetic pathology or surgical intervention, there is a strong distinction between men and women. More to the point, that distinction grants men a natural advantage in most athletic events. IMO, this means that there will always be a question of who the best female atheletes are. Given that, there will unfortunately always be a need to keep cheating men out.
There are several categories for sport events based on age, gender, handicaps, etc. For example: under-16, under-21, over 40, handicapped with 1 leg, blind, women, ... and the "free category" (otherwise known as "men's category").
Anybody that does not fit the description of any particular sport category is free to compete with the men. I say more, anybody fitting the description of a "lesser" category should be able to compete with men if they wish.