The Tricky Science of Olympic Gender Testing

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."

Comments

Is that a man or a woman?

[Anonymous Coward]

Answer: yes.

Re:Is that a man or a woman?

[Anonymous Coward]

Trouble is, sometimes the answer is no.

Re:Is that a man or a woman?

[drkim]

SEA is area with prominently open approach to ladyboys (transponders)

My ladyboy usually squawks 7000.

Re:Is that a man or a woman?

[billybob2001]

The London 2012 Olympics has already definitvely tested all of the athletes, during the opening ceremony.

Near the end of Paul McCartney's performance of Let It Be, in the singalong "Na-na-na-nah" part, he made some subliminal audience participation requests:

"Just the men", followed by "Now just the women" - and a host of cameras trained on the athletes recorded who sang along to which section.

Foolproof!

Re:Is it true that Chinese girl pass all drug test

[Anonymous Coward]

Getting out the swimming pool is much like getting out a bath. She's clean.

Re:How hard can it be?

[king neckbeard]

Don't forget YYZ

Re:How hard can it be?

[narcc]

Let's not forget XYZZY

Re:How hard can it be?

[JustOK]

XKCD

Re:Why seperate competions by gender anyway?

[silentcoder]

>Women did not fight for equal treatment in a physical arena, they wanted to be treated (rightly so) as equals intellectually.

Most of them.

> That might be because (shock) they are smart enough to admit that there is a physical difference.

Not always. Gloria Steinhem is on record as demanding that the New York fire department change their entrance exam to be less focussed on strength so that they can get 50% woman members. When it was pointed out that a fireman needs to be strong enough to carry an unconscious victim out of a burning building on his/her shoulders - she replied "the weaker woman can just drag victims by their ankles".

You can't make this shit up...

Re:Overcomplicating things?

[Jaysyn]

Checking the chromosome might work until you find someone with a missing piece

AIS throws that out the window... genetically a male but somewhat or completely (depending on the degree) insensitive to the androgen that would give them the male characteristics leaving them in the default female form.

i.e. Anne Coulter.

Re:Is it true that Chinese girl pass all drug test

[AngryDeuce]

Yeah, but believe me, if a spectator goes to do it everyone gets all bitchy about it. Where's the fairness in that?

Re:Is it true that Chinese girl pass all drug test

[poity]

wow, if you can train yourself to pee in controlled pulses, that's a couple extra grams of propulsion per stroke. if lapt times are thousandths of a second apart, then that could mean the difference between gold and no medal at all.