The Future of Sex in Elite Sport
Sports science outlook ILLUSTRATION BY JONAS BERGSTRAND JONAS BY ILLUSTRATION n the excitement of leaving for the sex, based on chromosomes. People usually 1985 World University Games in Kobe, have 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs. Japan, Spanish hurdler María José One of these pairs differs depending on the THE Martínez-Patiño forgot to pack her biological sex of the individual: women typi- doctor-issued ‘certificate of femininity’. cally have two X chromosomes, whereas men “You had to prove you were a woman in typically have an X and a Y. Genetic errors, FUTURE Iorder to compete,” she explains. Without it, mutations and interactions between DNA and she had to take a simple biological test. But hormones can, however, cause a panoply of it produced an unexpected result, and so exceptions to this arrangement. Although a she had to take a more thorough test — one person’s chromosomes might indicate one OF SEX that would take months to process. The team sex, their anatomy might suggest otherwise. physician advised her to fake an ankle injury This is known as intersex or differences of sex to silence suspicion around why she was not development (DSDs). IN ELITE running, so she sat in the stands with her foot The chromosome-based test required by bandaged and watched, wondering what the the IOC involved taking cells from inside the test result meant. cheek. In a cell containing two X chromo- SPORT Sport has a long history of policing who somes, one chromosome is inactive and there- counts as a woman. Blanket mandatory ‘sex fore shows up under the microscope as a dark Sex has long been used verification’ testing was put in place at events spot in the nucleus, known as a Barr body.
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