An 18-year old girl, Caster Semenya won a gold medal in the women’s 800 meter dash in Berlin 2009. However, she was forced to take a gender test from International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to verify that she is really a female. The result of the test was astonishing. It has been reported that Semenya has no womb or ovaries and her level of testosterone was three times higher than that of the normal female. As a result, the federation decided to distinguish her as a hermaphrodite – having both male and female organs.
I believe Caster Semenya has been raised as a girl in her family, which I think IAAF’s decision to conduct a gender against this young girl is violating human rights. It has been reported in public that she is no longer considered as female, but hermaphrodite. And how would she feel after being tested and realized that she can be both male or female? Although Semenya might benefit from her stronger muscles and faster movements, this issue is different from athletes taking advantage from doping. Therefore, I don’t think any additional punishment is necessary.
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