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"Off The Record"
A Blog by Jill M. Geer

The myth of fairness meets the question of gender

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Editor's Note: Readers are advised that the following blog deals with issues of gender determination and sexual characteristics.

On Wednesday, the IAAF announced that Caster Semenya is "still undergoing gender tests," which means that one of the most talked-about stories in all of sport, since it first made headlines at the World Championships in Berlin, is still without an ending, happy or otherwise. That it is taking months to come up with a solution is a vivid illustration of the complexity of a controversy that, in the end, will have no winners.

When I returned from Berlin, people who I am quite certain know little to nothing about track, from relatives to day-care workers to secretaries and real-estate agents, welcomed me back. Almost all conversations went something like this:

Friend: "Welcome back, Jill, how was Berlin?"

Jill: "It was great, thanks. Our team did really well, the city is terrific and I saw some art that looked like neon avian porn."

Friend: "Great. But I've got to ask you . . . "

Jill (interrupting friend, anticipating the "What's up with Semenya?" question): "I have no idea."

How the story was leaked and how it has played out has done nothing but tarnish the reputations of everyone involved. Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, who knew what and when, who did what examination or who leaked what to whom, this has played out like a Greek tragedy of Sophoclean proportions. The victims include, in no particular order, Semenya, her competitors and anyone in society who is, to use a term often employed in gender studies, "other."

When the story first broke, what most concerned me was the idea that somebody's sex could be called into question simply because of how she looked or how low her voice was. As I've noted to many people, I was one of those girls who was always with the guys, wearing my brother's hand-me-downs, playing sports with (and beating 98 percent of) the guys, and being mistaken for a boy until I was in at least 7th grade. Put me on a weight-lifting regimen and I'll be ready to star in Terminator 4. I sing tenor, and a four-year-old once called me "he" . . . when I was about 23 years old.

So when people start to snicker or sneer at an athletic woman because she doesn't look like a Barbie doll, I get pissed off.

However, if the calls for sex-testing Semenya were due to something beyond just how she looks or sounds, to include knowledge of events or discussions that went on prior to Berlin, that's another circumstance entirely. I don't know which was the case with Semenya.

Regardless, she is almost universally, and rightly, considered to be an innocent in this who has been wronged by those around her, most of whom, it must be noted, seem to have external male genitalia. But an obvious mistake that Semenya did make came in Berlin. After winning the 800 in impressive fashion, she crossed the finish line and flexed her muscles. Maybe it was an act of defiance and of wanting to explode gender codes. But if it was her hope that people would focus on her running and not the headlines, it was a colossal error in judgment.

Also working against her was the fact that she is coached by a man who, according to the Times of London, "was named as a key figure in the East German doping machine in a German parliamentary inquiry (who) has admitted his involvement in the drug programme..." Indeed, the East German connection and her subsequent, incredible improvement in performance is why the IAAF first raised eyebrows about her performances in 2009, not because of how she looked.

Reading about her case has been an eye-opening education for me as I've learned about the incredible varieties of genetics that cause huge variations in what is male and female. It's like learning that it's not always day and night; it's often dusk and dawn. Until you read about and understand the science, it is hard to understand why the case isn't clear-cut.

Of course, the uncertainty only makes the issue more tragic. If I were an athlete who finished behind Semenya, I would feel bitterly angry and cheated. If I were Caster Semenya, I'd feel equally cheated, and perhaps even more so: I'd feel I'd been cheated not out of a medal but out of my right to enjoy my life. Not only has her performance been called into question, but her entire life has been made the subject of intense public debate, cruel jokes and salacious rumor-mongering. In a classic bit of side-show grotesquery, she was even trotted out in sequins for a South African women's magazine.

These are just a few reasons to feel angered by the whole affair, but if Semenya was put in a position to compete when people close to her knew there might be an issue regarding her sex, it is even more infuriating.

There are so many questions, but few, if any answers. In a sport divided into male and female competition, how do you define sex? Is it chromosomal, hormonal, physical, psychological, or something else entirely? Who should be gender-tested and when? Who should and should not be allowed to compete?

The fundamental job of the IAAF and all governing bodies is to ensure that competition is fair. To that end, they establish rules about competition, ban blatantly unfair practices such as doping and generally try to keep the undertaking civilized. Part of creating a fair sport has always been the concept of having women compete and against women and men against men.

Erin Buzuvis of the Western New England School of Law in October delivered a paper entitled "Caster Semenya, Sex, and the Myth of a Level Playing Field." While I don't necessarily agree with many of her assertions, that she attempts to lay out a rational argument as much as possible is to be lauded.

Most interesting to me is that she wrote about what she called "The Myth of the Level Playing Field". Even if competition is divided along the lines of sex, she argues, there is inherent natural variation and "unfairness" within the sexes. What is fair, and is it possible and desirable to try to create fairness when there is no such thing as a truly level playing field in sport? To wit, some women have naturally higher testosterone, and more strength, than others. Some runners have grown up at altitude and therefore have an advantage in distance running. Some athletes are wealthy and can afford training aids that others can't.

I don't believe that the issue can and will ever be resolved in black and white, or in X and Y. I envy none of the scientists or IAAF officials who were forced in a very public way to make a determination on something that is at its very root amorphous and almost indefinable. But somebody's got to do it.

What is clear is that the entire saga has been unfair to almost everyone involved. My empathy goes to the women who were beaten by Caster Semenya, to Semenya and her family and friends, to the South African people, and to anybody who has ever been made a joke for not conforming to traditional ideas of what people should look or sound like.

All's fair in love and war, but nothing, it seems, is entirely fair in sport, especially when it becomes a battle of the sexes.

COMMENTS
Good post. I don't believe the competitors who finished behind Semenya are victims, nor should they be treated as such. Semenya did not cheat, she cannot change the way she was born and raised, so there's no reason to diminish her performance and victory.
Posted by: Danielle Geong on 11/19/2009 8:10:29 AM PT
No athlete with external female genitalia was ever before challenged on that basis. Male performance with external female genitalia is suspicious on doping considerations. Not physique. Humans are born such that each mature body contains rudiments of the same elements of the opposite gender. If it looks like a woman it is.
Posted by: Richard Howland on 11/19/2009 9:33:31 AM PT
Hi Jill, I think you're being quite patronizing to Ms. Semenya with your statement: "In a classic bit of side-show grotesquery, she was even trotted out in sequins for a South African women's magazine". I also disagree with your assertions that everyone's being treated unfairly, and that the only thing that made Ms. Semenya worthy of testing was flexing her muscles. I agree that it's unfortunate for everyone, but Semenya did need to be tested, and boundaries will have to be defined. I agree with your third to last paragraph, but I think every effort is being made to be fair.
Posted by: Reggie Henderson on 11/19/2009 9:45:52 AM PT
I watched the race with my 13 year old daughter and we both were mystified by her appearance, and as she was crossing the finish line I blurted out "That is not a woman" and looked at my daughter who just stared amazingly.
Posted by: akamotherlove on 11/19/2009 9:49:27 AM PT
Reggie, thank you for posting. To be clear, she wasn't tested because she flexed after the race. The controversy had erupted many days before the final was held. My point was that she had been keeping a very low profile and in fact did not even speak to the press after the final, which I think was best for everyone. (Instead, IAAF General Secretary Pierre Weiss spoke to the press.) What I was saying is that everyone had been trying to keep the temperature down on this as much as possible. Flexing after she won gave the world lots of fodder for discussion, jokes and speculation. That was unfortunate.
Posted by: Jill Geer on 11/19/2009 9:50:53 AM PT
If you have male genitals and you can't produce kids then you are a male. It dosen't matter what you look like on the outside or what you feel on the inside. You are what you are. We have the greatest doctors in the world that can just about fix any problem with the human body. It was unfair to allow a person to keep a gold medal with cross genitals.
Posted by: Michael Dillard on 11/19/2009 10:15:40 AM PT
I agree.Your comments are very patronizing,and very western politically correct.The issue is quite simple.Is she a man,or woman ? Do the tests and then make the decision.Are you able to make one ?
Posted by: fourjz on 11/19/2009 10:28:48 AM PT
This isn't just about Berlin. If it isn't resolved clearly she'll make a mockery of women's middle distance records...even more so than they already are. IMO there isn't a valid womens WR below 1500m now.
Posted by: Bill Newsham on 11/19/2009 10:41:25 AM PT
It is not as complicated as you make out. Medically, she is not a normal woman and she shouldn't be competing as such. It is just a fact. The key folks who let her down were the South African authorities who did not have her tested PRIOR to international competition. If they had done their job properly they would have detected her abnormality and banned her from competition.
Posted by: Barry Roberts on 11/19/2009 10:53:40 AM PT
This is not a new issue. In fact, the IAAF reports that there have been 8 cases handled quite quietly over the past few years. The protocols and definitions have evolved from the "shower test", through cheek swabs, to a highly differentiated and nuanced set of definitions to achieve "fair play." When it hasn't become a media circus it works well. The difference here is that it became public (and somebody's head ought to roll within the IAAF). As you note, without narrowing the classifications to ridiculous levels (a la some masters' competitions), there will be disparities of natural advantages within all competitions.
Posted by: Rich Ede on 11/19/2009 11:20:44 AM PT
Well written and accurate article on a very difficult subject within our sport. They used to do a gender test for women but dropped it many years ago because it was controversial. Maybe the IAAF needs to reconsider this.
Posted by: Bob Bowman on 11/19/2009 11:28:25 AM PT
It is so much more complicated an issue than many realize. It goes beyond external exams and testosterone levels as even testosterone levels can vary greatly within a gender. Sorry to see the comment above that makes a judgment based on their cultural perception of what a woman must look like...
Posted by: sdl on 11/19/2009 11:37:22 AM PT
Thanks for an enlightening post Jill. Like many, I have conflicting opinions on this. Semenya did appear to be at least a "tom boy" but Maria Mutola wasn't necessarily Betty Boop either and she has had a great career. I wonder how much of a stir would have been caused if she had been Flo-Joish with nail polish, lots of make up and hot running clothes? That's not a put down on Florence Joiner but her change was about as startling. Semenya is quite young to be going through such an examination. I fear that even if she is accepted as a female by the testers, she will not overcome the "amateur testers" many of whom are stepping forward in this forum.
Posted by: John Blakely on 11/19/2009 11:45:40 AM PT
sdl,please don't try and fail to reduce this down to looks,and ''cultural perception''.This is about human science and female competition rules period.Test her/him,then make the decision.Then judge .
Posted by: fourjz on 11/19/2009 11:49:52 AM PT
Amateur testers ? That's ridiculous.The South Africans should have done it,and the IAAF shoild do it since it is their body,and money.If Caster is a man then the S.Africans scammed the whole world.
Posted by: fourjz on 11/19/2009 11:54:40 AM PT
fourjz, I am a scientist...are you? Read the first part of my post...you clearly read and reacted to one sentence and ignored the rest....as I said before, it is a complicated issue.
Posted by: sdl on 11/19/2009 12:24:01 PM PT
My hats off to you to tackle such a controversial topic. I understand that Semenya has no ovaries and internal testes which may cause most to say..well she is a man. My guess is those people would be equally surprised to know that 8 female athletes in the 1996 olympics tested genetically male and were allowed to compete. Or that a man undergoing sex change surgery can compete as female under IAAF rules. Caster is not the first, probably not the last, and the gender issue is not always clear. That said, the CRITERIA should be very clear. Who should be tested? Everyone competing at that level should be subject. Who should be banned? If her condition (or anyone else's too) confers an advantage over the other female athletes then she should be banned as long as that condition exists. Is there anyone who would disagree?I am surprised how many articles focus on the ethics of who is wrong and who was hurt and what emotions come into play, but there are no objective articles addressing the core issue. Did she have an advantage and what factors are being used to determine that?
Posted by: Anonymous on 11/19/2009 12:33:20 PM PT
I am a sports physical therapist, not an amateur tester as Blakely might ascribe to one who disagrees with him. Our job is to analyse human movement and body mechanics with a medical science background of 7 years medical science education. Two things, when I first saw this person running I said to my wife, this is a male running style. Secondly, genetically she is a male, this is indisputable. Not amateurish. My daughter is an 800 and 1500 meter runner with a great college and possibly higher future, but if she continues will come up against this person, and the male hormones will win out every time. This is clear cut and we should stop the political correctness. Keep her medals, but grant equal gold to the second and so on down the track, but there is no way that a male should be running against a female and too bad if feelings are hurt, this is reality.
Posted by: Monkbobo on 11/19/2009 12:39:34 PM PT
Speaking about gender, please understand that gender is self-identifiable and socially constructed. Caster Semenya identifies as a women and was raised in society as a female, therefore her gender is female. That question is beyond a doubt. And my limited research from the summer was that previously the IAAF has ruled that athletes are allowed to compete in the gender that they belong. Based on this, Semenya's results from this summer should be upheld.
Posted by: Matt on 11/19/2009 12:43:00 PM PT
By the way, "No athlete with external female genitalia was ever before challenged on that basis" is a false statement. In 1967 Erik Shinegger was raised as a female and was preparing for the 1968 olympics ski competition. He responded normally to male hormones and was tested and determined to have male organs in his abdomen. He was banned and later had surgery to become openly male and even went on to father children. Maybe they will find Caster responds to male hormones in the same way?
Posted by: Anonymous on 11/19/2009 12:49:18 PM PT
"Speaking about gender, please understand that gender is self-identifiable and socially constructed. Caster Semenya identifies as a women and was raised in society as a female, therefore her gender is female" What kind of nonsense is that? Because she thinks of herself as a woman she should compete as a woman? By that logic, if Usain Bolt thought himself a woman and was raised as such then females should have to race him in the 100 meter. ???? I think the IAAF would properly say the gender a person "belongs to" is more than just the gender with which they self-identify.
Posted by: Anonymous on 11/19/2009 12:57:14 PM PT
Jill, I had a problem with the way the situation was handled. In the IAAF own policy http://www.iaaf.org/mm/document/imported/36983.pdf they violated their own guidelines when Pierre Weiss replaced the athlete at the race press conference and took up the topic of Caster Semenya's testing. (page 3 Step 4 (d)) This was even before the athlete knew there was a problem. If the athlete is guilty, then throw the book at them but until then, we have to wait. Apparently, this athlete has grown up believing she is a female so we need to remember this is an 18 year old. Yes, if the athlete is a male, the other podium finishers were robbed of the glory and no matter how fast you fix it after they have left the podium, you can't give that moment back. So let's not try to rush the process (although I don't understand why it has taken this long) and possibly wrong another athlete. The whole doping and testing process is turning into a media circus that is damaging many sports. Confidentiality must be preserved until a verdict has been reached; somehow it has to be done. I say, fine and fire the leakers.
Posted by: Ole on 11/19/2009 1:16:24 PM PT
Hi again Jill, I just read the New York Times article on the "private settlement" of the case. Now I see what you mean by unfair. If someone is in the grey area, it does end up being unfair, because the people who are not in the grey area may have to compete with them, and the people in the grey area didn't get there on purpose. I presumed that even though it was difficult to draw a line, that one would be drawn, but it seems as though it's so difficult to draw the line, and of such a personal matter, that it no matter how hard everyone tries to be fair (my first impression was that you were implying that someone was treating Semenya unfairly) it just can't be fair to everyone.
Posted by: Reggie Henderson on 11/19/2009 1:19:53 PM PT
Monkbobo....are you kidding me???? Gender is "self-identifieable" and if someone "identifies" themself as a women then they get to compete as one???? So your saying that any 6'4, 220 pound transvestite can compete as a women? Obviously you have never trained 365 days a year, for 8-15 years and dedicated your life to one race and then get beat out by a "self-identified" woMAN. I feel very sorry for Caster, but I feel more sympathy for the other athletes that are constantly getting beat out by drug cheats or gender cheats. This is about money... sHE would be rich if sHE continued to get to race as a women. And HEr coaches and agents will get that $$$$ also and gain recognition for their country. If someone in regular everyday society wants to identify themselves as a women, than that is their perogative but when it comes to setting records, winning money, and dashing other athletes dreams thats when I say it needs to come down to SCIENCE.
Posted by: pleazzze on 11/19/2009 1:35:20 PM PT
Jill, please get your data right, Dr Ekkart Arbeit was never Caster Semenya's coach however he has certainly worked with previous Olympic Heptathlon Gold medalist, Denise Lewis of Britain, maybe you would like to comment on that fact? Maybe Ana Guevara should not have flexed her muscles either or while we about it maybe everyone should ask that the Senegal's Amy Mbacke Thiam also be considered for gender testing.
Posted by: Gavin on 11/19/2009 1:40:24 PM PT
Over the past 7 or 8 years, a transgender athlete has competed in the USATF Masters National Outdoor Championships -- a man who had surgery and hormone treatments to become a woman. She wasn't medal-class, so nobody lost any hardware. Keep in mind that sex-change treatment hurts your athletic potential. As for Caster, she has a right to flex her muscles. I'd do the same after a race if I had any!
Posted by: Ken Stone on 11/19/2009 1:50:15 PM PT
Lots of women I know made the same comments as the guys when it comes to her running. "She runs like a guy, she looks like a guy." It is not just guys, Jill. It is everybody."
Posted by: mike on 11/19/2009 2:26:48 PM PT
Gavin, maybe Thiam is one of the numerous cases of intersex competitors resolved by the IAAF "in camera". But in Semenya's case, complete testing and discretion in handling her case was made impossible by Athletics South Africa. And by the way, for others who don't know, the former East German doping expert Dr Ekkart Arbeit has for at least a couple of years been a consultant to ASA and he has had a major for better or worse on most coaches/athletes of national squad members. In regards to Semenya, Arbeit took a special interest and I believe it was no coincidence that of all the Sth African medal contenders, Caster's coach Michael Seme was the only personal coach NOT to attend the training camp or competition in Germany because he was not offered the funding. Seme, by the way, is an IAAF level 5 coach.
Posted by: Mike Hurst on 11/19/2009 2:47:12 PM PT
Jill loved the blog. However, whas blew me away was to read peoples comments. Wow as human beings we have a ton to learn. It blows me away how people are so quick to judge without being fully informed, educated on a topic as complex as this one. Sterotypes, lack of compassion and open heart and minds are still a gift that not all have learned. We sure have learned fast to be judgemental along with all those other not so nice human traits that show it's ugly side when something like this comes along.
Posted by: Michelle M. Byrne on 11/19/2009 3:14:16 PM PT
ARGH! I for one, think it is pretty black and white and it just is a sign of the times, that we must make everything "grey" and SO FULL OF EMOTION we are just about paralyzed. A scientific panel and the USATF must determine a genetic "line in the sand" (or something to that affect) where if an athlete (at no fault of their own, for goodness sake!) is X percent man and X percent woman or some combination therein - they cannot compete in competitions for males or females --whatever the case may be where they have "cross the line", so-to-speak. TAKE THE EMOTION OUT OF THIS. I know folks love emotion, but nasty political correctness itself demands that exact RULES be determined and enforced when a "challenge" or charge is leveled against an athlete. One thing that is black and white: if she is gentically (naturally or drug induced) "modified" with male traits that enhanced her performance, then the female athletes behind her did get RIPPED OFF. c'mon, wake up folks it is as simple as that
Posted by: Niwrad on 11/19/2009 3:35:42 PM PT
Great post, thanks for writing it! I find it interesting how women who are strong are always humiliated! As a former Penn State student I will never forget the Jenn Harris case! http://www.trainingrules.com/index.html
Posted by: Cathy on 11/19/2009 4:27:06 PM PT
I'm with you, Jill. I put your blog in my Favorites section. Anxious to read the latest about Semenya and other interesting subject matter. Jerry, former member of 5 international US T&F teams.
Posted by: Jerry Smartt on 11/19/2009 7:31:01 PM PT
This is a very complex issue and the fact is what you look like on the outside isn't necessarliy what you are. I am not an expert but I have read extensively on this case and to grasp the full magnitude you would have to read the information printed on intersexual individuals he here's a start http://trackmom.com/2009/08/22/why-800m-womens-world-champion-caster-semenya/ "If you have male genitals and you can't produce kids then you are a male. It dosen't matter what you look like on the outside or what you feel on the inside. You are what you are. We have the greatest doctors in the world that can just about fix any problem with the human body. It was unfair to allow a person to keep a gold medal with cross genitals" Question what if you have some female genital s and can't have kids are you a female with strong male dominance or a male? what if as in this cas i have heard she has internal tesicles but when removed (if)for cancer prevention her levels would go back to woman levels an then she would as it seems be a more masculine girl with ambiguous genitals.According to the experts you are not what you look like always.We have to wait until her particular expression of intersexualism has been clear defined. I do believe it has been identified they are just trying to manage those results for public consumption.Yes you are what you are, but in this case what is that based on gentics or physical looks or a combination,is there a ratio?
Posted by: rain on 11/19/2009 8:31:07 PM PT
During the Cold War back in the hey day of Eastern European sport machine, was there not a gender or chromesome test for female athletes? I think because of the heavy muscles of some of Eastern Bloc athletes such as Czech runner Jaramilla Kratchilcova(sic). :o)
Posted by: Trkcoach on 11/20/2009 12:04:23 AM PT
I watched Kratochvilova set the women's 800 record. I said, "There's no way Kratochvilova can be female." As of this date, I was wrong. I'm Smartt. For once, I'd like to be right. It's as if I'm running around in circles. Wait a minute, I DO 'run around in circles'. Jerry
Posted by: Jerry Smartt on 11/20/2009 4:34:15 AM PT
I watched Kratochvilova set the women's 800 WR. I said, "Kratochvilova isn't female." As of this date, I was wrong. I'm Smartt. For once, I'd like to be right. Makes me feel like I'm running around in circles. Wait a minute, I DO run around in circles. Jerry
Posted by: Jerry Smartt on 11/20/2009 5:04:17 AM PT
OOPS, DOUBLE EXPOSED.(sorry about that, kids. Jerry)
Posted by: Jerry Smartt on 11/20/2009 5:06:04 AM PT
Jill, you are not as fast as Paula Radcliffe. But your explanation of the current controversy is as brilliant as Albert Einstein's science career in Zuerich. And I agree with your comment about Caster Semenya's muscle-flexing gesture. Thank you from another childhood tomboy.
Posted by: Drew Woodrich on 11/20/2009 7:40:43 AM PT
Jill, I enjoyed your well-written, carefully worded essay. It definitely was thought provoking. I agree with others who have said that it's not what you look like on the outside, or what you feel on the inside. IMO, it comes down to genetics. Are Semenya's sex chromosomes XX or XY? If she's the former (which she must be, from what I've read about her having undescended testes), then I can't understand why she should be considered female for the purposes of competition. I totally agree that competition is not always fair. I could have made the Olympics, if only I had chosen more gifted parents!
Posted by: OldXCguy on 11/20/2009 7:42:19 AM PT
Oops! A late proofread indicates that I got that chromosome thing backward. Should have been the other way around, i.e. that she's clearly XY.
Posted by: OldXCguy on 11/20/2009 7:44:44 AM PT
I am an ex-track and field athlete who did compete at the Olympic Trials in 2000. I agree that with the doping, it gave some women athletes an unfair winning advantage. However, at least they were women. I am furious that the a man is being given gold medals in womens events. now women not only have to deal with their opponents doping, they have to tolerate men who identify themselves as women, therefore getting to compete as women? This thing is making a joke of the sport I competed in and loved for nearly 15 years. The medals should be taken from a man posing as a female just as they are taken from known dopers.
Posted by: Deanna on 11/20/2009 9:14:21 AM PT
What a bunch of crap! This is all very simple, if "she" has a Y chromosome and is not androgen insensitive, then "she" is a boy. Period. This is not a tragedy, it is just slimy scammers trying to pull one over. "She" and her "coach" should be banned from competition for life.
Posted by: Dan on 11/20/2009 11:21:21 AM PT
If Semenya has testosterone producing testicles (as is generally accepted) then HE is a man (using the Biology definition that he who creates sperm is a male and she who creates eggs is female). Yes, prev. athletes w/o male genitilia were ID'ed as men when they were genetically tested in years prior to the current PC-evaluation that one is the gender one considers oneself. But this was deemed too harsh to tell some who were not sure they were biologically not XX-women (e.g., XY male, or XXY mostly-men). You can call someone a man and give him the right to have a baby, but this does not make him a woman. John Cleese / Monty Python. I feel sorry for those XYs without fully developed male genetilia (and I feel sorry for men too short to play in the NBA, but this doesn't mean they should get to play in the WNBA). Or, if you don't like Separate-But-Equal, advocate doing away with women's competitions altogether, and have everyone compete on an equal playing field. Or have separate XXX and XXY competitions. But a sperm/testosterone producing XY man is not really, really not a woman. Part of competing at the highest level of Track & Field may include discovering one's true/actual/real biologic gender, and this could be an answer one doesn't want/desire. But it is reality, and saying "The Queen has beautiful ovaries" does not actually change testicles into ovaries. We should do what is most accurate and correct for ALL athletes and for the sport, NOT what is PC or focused on just one athlete ... especially if HE is unfairly competing against women.
Posted by: Brian on 11/20/2009 2:54:52 PM PT
Thanks Jill for your great post. I was also disappointed with people's quick judgment and comments on Caster's appearance. I remember hearing similar comments about another champion 800m runner, Maria Mutola.
Posted by: Carmel Papworth-Barnum on 11/20/2009 2:58:52 PM PT
Just responding to Pleeeezze above. Please re read my post. I am saying unequivocally that Semenya is a male and therefore should not be competing against women,period. And I witness the years of effort my daughter has already put in, and have treated many Olympic and national level sports people, and do, fully understand their commitment. They should not be fleeced in the name of political correctness
Posted by: monkbobo on 11/20/2009 4:02:37 PM PT
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Photo of Jill GeerJill M. Geer is Chief Public Affairs Officer of USATF. She recently completed her first marathon at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where she qualified for Boston. Follow her professional exploits as the USATF spokesperson and her adventures as a mid-pack marathoner -- Off The Record.