By: Katie Macisaac
In the article, The Complexities of Sport, Gender, and Drug Testing, Weaving et. al. argues that the new International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF)/ International Olympics Committee (IOC) sex verification policy remain flawed—complexity of fairness in sport, the social construction of sport, and not confronting the issue that remains in drug testing with sex verification examining. [1]The authors are disappointed on the lack of education and research on this uprising issue of gender-sex testing within sport. Weaving et al. state that Caster Semenya’s treatment at the Olympics was appalling. The authors suggest that Semenya’s treatment was not right and discriminative towards women athletes. Stating further that pervious authors have not researched enough in critiquing the new policy or trying to break through new ground to help sex verification testing to improve for athletes—especially female athletes whom continually have their femininity and sexual identity criticized and questions by professionals or non-professionals. [2]
Weaving et. al. use Lock (2003) argument of the “heterosexual matrix” is the tacit ontological aggregation of sex, gender, heterosexual femininity…because the less feminine a woman is seemed, the less authentic she becomes.”[3] This statement will be Weaving et al. argument for discrimination when it comes to drug testing and sex-gender examinations in sport. The authors references a Canadian scholar, activist and Olympian Bruce Kidd, who does not believe in sex verification tests that go beyond asking an athlete to self-declare their sex. [4]
Previously Weaving et al. stated that the new International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF)/ International Olympics Committee (IOC) sex verification policy remain flawed due to the fact that the testing is based on the level of testosterone. [5] In addition, the authors suggest that it should not be the level of testosterone in the body that impact on the athletes performance but rather the access to coaching, technology, sport sciences and training opportunities as well as body composition and the access to proper nutrition, making a much bigger difference in creating a fair playing field than the level of a woman’s testosterone. [6] Sex testing within sport has to be done in a way that it does not offend or discriminate the rights and freedoms of athletes but it fair to all. Everyone’s body is different, for one to say that a athletes testosterone levels are not within the range it should be and then to look at appearances and states that they are not feminine which is the case with Semenya. It is not fair to test every individual woman athletes, however, it is equality troublesome to test specific women athletes whom appear masculine—this is an ethical issue that has to be dealt with by the IAAF and IOC. The authors suggest using a legal definition of sex, however how does one apply that to an athlete because then discrimination and inequality still presumes. However, what if each country had their own definition of sex, it certainly would broaden the scope, but it would not matter because this would really only pertain to women athletes. Biology has proven that men generally perform at higher levels then women. In addition, a man would never be subjected to a sex/gender testing because he has under performed. So this theory is problematic in the sense that only female athletes would be subjected to this definition. To complicate the sex/gender testing issue is drug abuse. It is a well known fact that in the Olympics there have been countless athletes which have been accused and found guilty of using performance enhancing drug to improve the level of their performance in a sport. However, one of the side effects to using performance enhancing drugs is an increase in testosterone. So by athletes consenting to drug test they are basically consenting to a sex/gender test because by urinating and giving a blood test allowing the examine the determination that an athlete is indeed a male or female. The article states that the World Anti-Doping Agency should have no role in the IAAF and IOC sex determination through anti-doping protocols. [7]
In conclusion, it is problematic to find a solution for the sex testing crisis that has hit female athletes countlessly throughout history. A recent example is Caster Semenya’s encounter and the publicity she gotten all because she did not look feminine. Weaving et al. bring up very legitimate concerns about equal treatment amongst all athletes especially women. In addition, determining a proper way of testing that keeps drug and sex testing separate and appropriate.
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