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Beyond the Caster Semenya Controversy: The Case of the Use of Genetics for Gender Testing in Sport

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  • Published:
Journal of Genetic Counseling

Abstract

Caster Semenya won the eight-hundred-meter title in the Berlin World Athletics Championships in 2009. Few hours after, Caster was at the center of a harsh contestation on gender. The International Association of Athletics Federations started an investigation, which was not respectful of her privacy. Caster’s case highlights the need for an improvement in the awareness of genetic counseling principles amongst professionals, the public and various stakeholders. We critically examine the historical steps of gender verification in the Olympics, the violation of genetic counseling principles in Caster’s case and outline some reflections on the complexity of the genetics of Disorders of sex development (DSD). Variability in both genotypes and phenotypes in DSD may not allow any etiological or functional classification at this point in time that could permit uncontroversial gender verification for fairer sport participation. We strongly suggest revisiting the pertinence of gender verification, and the process whereby this is done.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ambroise Wonkam, Karen Fieggen & Raj Ramesar

  2. Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences-University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Ambroise Wonkam

  3. MRC/UCT Human Genetics Research Unit, Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Raj Ramesar

  4. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa, Anzio road-7925, observatory, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ambroise Wonkam

Authors
  1. Ambroise Wonkam
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  2. Karen Fieggen
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  3. Raj Ramesar
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Correspondence to Ambroise Wonkam.

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Wonkam, A., Fieggen, K. & Ramesar, R. Beyond the Caster Semenya Controversy: The Case of the Use of Genetics for Gender Testing in Sport. J Genet Counsel 19, 545–548 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-010-9320-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-010-9320-2

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