The Tricky Science of Olympic Gender Testing

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 1, 2012 @07:01PM from the if-it-walks-like-a-duck dept.

First time accepted submitter erdos-bacon sandwich writes "Gender tests may be the most controversial obstacle the athletes face. The London Games tries a new approach based on testosterone. Of all the obstacles athletes have had to overcome to compete in the Olympics, perhaps the most controversial has been the gender test. Originally designed to prevent men from competing in women's events, it is based on the premise that competitors can be sorted into two categories via established scientific rules. But the biological boundaries of gender aren't always clear."

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Re:How hard can it be? by rastos1 · 2012-08-01 22:43 · Score: 1, Flamebait

What if I'm XXY (Klinefelter Syndrome) ? What if I'm just X (Turner Syndrome) ? What if I'm XX but SR-Y positive due to gene translocation ? What if I'm XY but Completely Androgen Insensitive (CAIS) ?
Then you are not granted the privilege of taking part in Olympics. There, I said it.