Gender Verification No More?
Myron Genel, MD
[Medscape Women's Health 5(3), 2000. Copyright 2000 Medscape, Inc.]
While there has been abundant publicity regarding the testing
of Olympic athletes for use of prohibited performance-enhancing
substances, it is not well known that for more than 30 years the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) has required all female
competitors to undergo "gender verification." The purported
rationale is to detect male imposters who would have an unfair
competitive advantage. In point-of-fact, genuine imposters have
not been uncovered; however, gender verification procedures have
resulted in substantial harm to a number of unassailable
women athletes born with relatively rare genetic abnormalities that affect development of the gonads or the expression of secondary sexual characteristics. The recent decision by the IOC to suspend gender verification, at least for the forthcoming summer games in Sydney, Australia, now offers hope that these inappropriate procedures will soon disappear (A. Ljungqvist, personal communication).
In part, the controversy over gender verification reflects
the increasing popularity of women's sports. The original Olympic
Games in ancient Greece were limited to men, who competed in the
nude. Women spectators were prohibited. When the Olympic Games
were revived in 1896, the founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin,
was opposed to any women competing,  reflecting general cultural
attitudes about the "weaker sex" that prevailed at the
sunset of the Victorian era. Nineteen women competed, however,
in the 1900 Olympic Games, and 57 in 1912; by 1960, in
Rome, there were 610 female competitors. During the past 4 decades, the number of women competing has increased substantially in both the winter and summer games, so that by the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta there were 3800 women athletes. This reflects not only increased interest but also the inclusion of additional events for women, as antiquated notions regarding the suitability of women to compete in more strenuous competitive events, such as the marathon, have dissipated. The recent phenomenal success of the US World Cup soccer team provides yet another example of the increasing acceptance and popularity of women's sports.
The sociologic changes, improved training, and the attraction
of more women into sports have naturally led to some striking
improvement in athletic achievements by women. For example,
Joan Benoit's time for the marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics,
the first year this event
was run for women, would have beaten all men's times before the 1956 Olympics. Women's times in the swimming events are even closer to those of men. The women's Olympic record in the 100-meter freestyle, set in 1992, would have beaten all men's times before the 1964 Olympics, including the 1924 time of the legendary Johnny Weissmuller, by almost 5 seconds. The 1988 Olympic record in the women's 400-meter freestyle would have beaten all men's times before the 1972 Olympics, including the 1924 time of Johnny Weissmuller, by over a minute. Even more striking is the comparison of men and women in cross-country skiing, arguably an event that puts greater premium on agility and coordination as well as endurance. In the 15-kilometer race, the women's Olympic record of 1994 would have beaten all men's before 1992; in the 30-kilometer race, the women's time in 1992 would have beaten men's in all previous Olympic events.
As women's athletic competition became more acceptable and popular, increasing attention was devoted to the concept of a "level playing field." In a number of instances, questions were raised regarding the "femininity" of highly successful female competitors, in particular during the Cold War era of competition between the United States and the former Soviet Union. These rumors were abetted by anecdotal reports of recognized athletes who were found to have varying degrees of intersexuality. In 1 case, a Polish sprinter with an apparent chromosomal mosaicism was stripped of her medals. Three track and field champions who c