larkimm wrote:
I can't see why this issue raises such ire here. Where's the compassion for women like Semenya? It's not as if there is a breeding farm somewhere turning out foetuses with these predispositions. Yes, its a valid point to make that not all women are made equal. So what? Most women can't run 2:00, and couldn't be trained to run 2:00. Some women can. Some women can be trained to 1:55, and most can't. Some have longer legs, stronger muscles, better brains, bigger bones, more powerful hearts. Has no-one noticed that we've all got some pros and cons in our physiology that make us better or worse at some things than others?
The vitriol that is poured out here on someone like Semenya is utterly disgusting and makes me feel ashamed of the running community.
I agree that the lack of say sensitivity some people talk about this issue with can be perhaps a little offending. She isn't a freak, being intersex is just a quirk of life and biology (being that it is rare), but perfectly natural.
However, don't be feeling sorry for Caster Semenya. She isn't sick, she leads a normal life, has a partner and a family; she is not suffering from anything. I doubt she wants your compassion or sympathy.
Sometimes the issue of fairness affects more than one individual. Semenya and others like her are not trying to deceive anyone, but their condition could be giving them an unfair advantage over 99% of the other competitors, far beyond more powerful hearts or longer legs or anything like that. An unfair advantage. The greater muscle mass of men is the result of testosterone induced muscular hypertrophy. Some of these women don't just have a little more testosterone than the average woman, some have 3 or 4 times the amount.
It is possible, that their performances are not the result of these individuals' talent, hard work in training and dedication to the sport. It is possible for some of these athletes that elite female times are easily attainable such as they are for an average teenage boy (sub 2 800m) without any work at all. Some of these people could potentially run well below 1:50 for example.
I must add, I do not think that this is a reason to not allow these individuals to compete, but it must be considered as a factor. It is simplistic to claim "they are all women, therefore the playing field is the same".
On a slightly unrelated note, with the new CAS ruling I just wonder this; if an athlete with a Y chromosome, any level of testosterone (as long as it is naturally produced), and any genitalia is allowed to compete in women's sport, then what is there to stop a biological male from competing as a woman? If the answer is nothing, then I'll see you all in Rio!