She says she’s a woman; officials unsure
Caster Semenya (Photo: sports-odds.com)
From the International Olympics Committee’s point of view, athletic competition has always been an arena where countries can set aside their political and ideological differences and enjoy the fruits of pure, honest fellowship. This is of course contrary to human nature, but the IOC continues to dream. Human beings feel a compulsion to find whatever advantage they can in life. If armed forces loans or auto financing can help provide that advantage, people latch on. When it comes to sports, human nature dictates that whenever an advantage can be gained, the time is right to play ball.
Or, in the case of Caster Semenya photos, whether there is a lack thereof.
It has happened before
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Adolph Hitler recruited a “woman” named Dora Ratjen to high jump for Germany in the 1936 Olympics. As it turned out, Dora was actually Hermann – a man who was urged to pose as a woman to sustain the illusion of Aryan superiority. He finished fourth in the Olympic event, out of the medal ceremony, but broke the women’s record two years later. Not long after setting the record, a doctor’s exam confirmed that Dora was a Hermann, and Hermann disappeared. Perhaps he went in search of armed forces loans or auto financing.
Apply Now!Such exams were not standard at the time. It wasn’t until the 1960s that gender testing officially began during Olympic competition. Eastern bloc nations continually found a way around that, however, as they utilized hormonal therapy that technically did not change the gender of female athletes, but gave them a muscular advantage, more masculine features and unwanted facial hair. Hormone treatments were distributed largely without the knowledge of the athletes, and in most cases also caused intense mood swings and suicidal tendencies.
The sight test
Universal sex verification was scrapped by the IOC in 2000, and it was replaced by what amounts to a “she looks funny, let’s test her” methodology. This highly scientific process began at the Beijing Olympics, and it has caught Caster Semenya in its web. The South African teenager recently won the Women’s 800-meter race at the World Championships, and now she is being subjected to gender testing by gynecologists, psychologists and endocrinologists. Considering that she has dropped nine seconds off her time over the past year, there may be good reason for suspicion – of performance-enhancing drugs perhaps. But a sex change? Pardon my skepticism.
You pee, I watch
There are other signs, however. Semenya, 18, has a deep voice and muscle patterns not usually found in female athletes. In fact, she’s much larger and more ripped than any of her competitors. Now a tester must accompany her into the bathroom and watch as she provides samples. That is what amateur athletes have to deal with when they appear questionable. Professionals have players unions to eliminate that kind of treatment, but perhaps the MLB Player’s Union should waive that privacy element it when it comes to testing belligerents like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Those two, among numerous others, have damaged their sport.
If Caster Semenya photos begin to show her head growing to Bondsian proportions, investigators should get BALCO back on the stand…
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This is one of the most disturbing thing I have ever read:
This is of course contrary to human nature, but the IOC continues to dream. Human beings feel a compulsion to find whatever advantage they can in life.
Most people crave fellowship, and look for leaders to bring them together. Governments, that have people in them, seek to retain power. Manipulating events to fuel nationalism, serves to keep certain people in power.
The nationalism itself is the inborn desire of every human to belong. The abuse of this instinct does not mean we are depraved lunatics that try to get ahead at the expense of others.