Caster Semenya (18-year-old), the Berlin World Championships in Athletics for 800M Women Gold Medal List, who arisen sexual identity controversy recently, turned out to have both male and female organs.Before the World Athletics Championships in Berlin where she won the gold medal in the women's 800-meter race, Semenya was given blood and chromosome tests as well as a physical examination last month. The tests determined she’s an hermaphrodite- having both characteristics of men and women.
She, South African champion, has no womb or ovaries and her testosterone levels are more than three times higher than those of a normal female. Her developed muscles, deep voice, and mannish appearance have arisen from this.
According to the IAAF, Semenya's dramatic improvement as a runner contributed to questions about her gender. After the race, defeated rivals alleged that she was a man. She has shaved eight seconds off her personal best time in the two-lap race in the past year.
In this connection,a spokesman of IAAF, Nick Davies, have announced,
"It's a medical issue. It's not an issue of cheating. We're more concerned forAlso, IAAF will ask semenya an operation, because it would be fatal for her health if the bisexual conditions are maintained.
the person not to make this something which is humiliating for her and something
which is going to affect her in a negative way.”
Meanwhile, Sporting officials in South Africa have reacted angrily to leaked gender tests on South African world champion runner Caster Semenya. The reaction came after newspapers in Australia and Britain reported the examination showed she had both male and female characteristics. Officials and South Africans in general expressed outrage over what they saw as an extreme violation of the 18 year-old woman's privacy.
The World Ground Sport Union claimed that there is a possibility that Semenya might lose obtained Gold Medal due to the result and it is highly likely that the Union will face a great friction with South Africa.
Similar cases have occurred in the past. But the South African public has been particularly incensed by the breach of confidentiality in this case and the pain it has caused the athlete's family which lives in an impoverished village in northeastern Limpopo Province.
I think that it is terrible this news was "leaked" to the public. How would you like your medical information exposed to the world. It's not like she is using drugs, this is her genetic information. She is genetically both male and female. Should she be punished if this give her a benefit in her sport? Should we punish people whose genetic makeup give them stronger muscles, stamina, eye-sight, and so forth?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about this?
Dan
I don’t have any medical abnormalities to speak of which may or may not be an issue, but if I was in her shoes I’d feel angry and sad. In modern times, a lot of people are afraid of their personal information being leaked out, and distributed without their knowledge, invading their privacy. Such a thing happened to her. It was unfortunate because of the fact she’s a hermaphrodite had been leaked to the general public without any consideration for her. Although she was born with both genetalias, she had been raised and living her life as a female. If she is to receive biased treatment in regards to the newfound medical information, it’d be absolutely unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteAs it was previously mentioned, she has never used any form of illegal drugs. She’s well disciplined and works very hard like anybody else. Winning the championship was the result of her hard work and not that she has been unfair. The most important point is that others, who are not concerned with of the result, should not judge her based on her sexuality as they don’t have the qualification nor the right to deprive her of the medal.
Couldn't have (and didn't) say it better myself :)
ReplyDeleteDan