Olympic Games
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Gender testing at the Olympic Games
Gender testing was first introduced at the Olympics in 1968, for the Winter Games in Grenoble. These tests were compulsory for female athletes, possibly due to fears that male athletes would pose as female athletes and have an unfair advantage over their competitors. However, most cases of men competing as females have been unintentional.
One of the most famous cases, and the earliest, is of Polish athlete Stanisława Walasiewicz (also known as Stella Walsh), who won gold in the women's 100 m at the 1932 Summer Olympics in LA, and silver in the 100 m at the 1936 Olympics. After she was shot dead during an armed robbery in 1980, the subsequent autopsy revealed she possessed male body parts, although she also had female characteristics as well.
The first athlete to actually fail a gender test was another Polish athlete Ewa Kłobukowska. In 1964 he won gold in the women's 4x100 m relay and was third in the women's 100 m. In 1967 she was found to have a rare genetic condition which gave her no advantage over other athletes, but was still banned from competing in Olympic and professional sports.
At the 1976 Summer Olympics, the only female competitor not to have to submit to a sex test was Princess Anne of the UK, who was competing as a member of the UK equestrian team. As the daughter Queen Elizabeth II, such a test was seen as unappropriate.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics eight athletes failed the gender verification tests but were all subsequently cleared by physical examinations.
Mandatory gender testing was officially stopped by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, though there can be evaluation of individual athletes if there is any question regarding gender identity.
Under current IOC rules, transsexuals (those who have had a sex change from male to female) can compete in women's events at the Olympics as long they wait two years after the operation.
Related Pages
- Gender Testing procedures
- Olympic History
