2016 Women’s 800m Olympic Controversy

2016 Women’s 800m Olympic Controversy

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, a controversy was sparked concerning, in particular, the women’s 800m final (track and field event). This ignited a larger controversy about so-called non-intersex female women, and so-called intersex female women athletes. There were ensuing allegations, not only of sexism regarding ‘tensions’ between so-called female intersex athletes and so-called non-intersex female athletes, but also racism.

Intersex is a term used to describe a person or persons who do not fit normative binary associations of what is considered female or male. Many commentators implicitly characterize hyperandrogenism as being intersex.

For the women’s 800m race, the (top/first six) place-getters were as follows:

1. Caster Semenya (from South Africa)
2. Francine Niyonsaba (from Burundi)
3. Margaret Nyaisera Wambui (from Kenya)
4. Melissa Bishop (from Canada)
5. Joanna Jozwik (from Poland)
6. Lynsey Sharp (from Great Britain)

Jozwik, after the race, commented that she was glad that she was “the first European” and “the second white” [to finish the race].

For me, this above statement is ambiguous. It may have the following implicit meanings: that she regards non-whites to be (naturally) better runners and/or an accusation that non-white first, second and third place-getters, [all] may have been cheating through having higher testosterone levels than the white 4th, 5th and 6th place-getters. Here we should afford Jozwick the benefit of the doubt in the face of allegation of racism in her remarks.

Sharp also made a post-event comment about the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling not to suspend ‘hyperandrogenism’; Sharp said, when interviewed, that “[t]he public can see how difficult it is with the change of rule but all we can do is give it our best”, perhaps adding to the controversy?

Jozwik also commented that “[t]he three athletes who were on the podium raise a lot of controversy. I must admit that for me it is a little strange that the authorities do nothing about this.”

This comment was in lieu of the fact Semenya has naturally higher levels of testosterone, which enables her to put on more muscle-mass than most other women, and thus compete at ‘a higher level of physical athleticism’ (all other things being the same).

It was wrong of Jozwik to insinuate that second and third place getters may have been taking testosterone, but right, in my opinion, to (indirectly) insinuate that all competitors should be screened for testosterone doping.

I do not wish to denigrate female so-called intersex athletes. I am sensitive to the fact that they, so-called intersex peoples, are victims of social stigma and even persecution, in some parts of the world. I do not wish to add to this: they are right to and have the right to identify as women, and as female, if they so wish. However, there is also the valid and legitimate (social) categorisation that they are female intersex women.

In my mind, low testosterone levels are such an inherent and core part of what it means to be so-called non-intersex female.

Caster should not be stripped of her medals. To do so would be to do injustice to her, and to the professional sport and sporting culture at large.

Instead, I allege, it would be better (more fair), to have all non-intersex female event(s), to have all female intersex event(s) (if indeed there were enough female intersex athletes to compete), and (even) to have mixed event(s) – intersex women and non-intersex women.

This is a moral and practical outcome considering that estimates are that as much as 1.7% of the global population are born intersex.