Gender verification in the Olympics.
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Female↗
Biomedical subjects
E A Ferris
Publications and source records attributed to E A Ferris.
Gender verification testing in sport.
Gender verification testing in sport, first introduced in 1966 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in response to fears that males with a physical advantage in terms of muscle mass and strength were cheating by masquerading as females in women's competition, has led to unfair disqualifications of women athletes and untold psychological harm. The discredited sex chromatin test, which identifies only the sex chromosome component of gender and is therefore misleading, was abandoned in 1991 by the IAAF in favour of medical checks for all athletes, women and men, which preclude the need for gender testing. But, women athletes will still be tested at the Olympic Games at Albertville and Barcelona using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA sequences on the Y chromosome which identifies genetic sex only. Gender verification testing may in time be abolished when the sporting community are fully cognizant of its scientific and ethical implications.
Disorders of Sex Development↗
Gender verification in sport: the need for change?
Most of an estimated one in 504 sportswomen fail the gender verification test unjustly. Until clinical examination becomes acceptable, a new code of practice is proposed which avoids unfair disqualification.
Chromosome Aberrations↗
Sex differences in athletic potential.
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Adult↗