Comments on: Caster Semenya: Sex, gender and athletics

By: DavidR

DavidR — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:46:19 +0000

There are lots of top women chess players and women’s chess competitions. Back in the day (late 1970s) against the odds I beat the British women’s under 18 chess champion (at chess I should add). it was in a team tournament of “lightening chess” where you have to move exactly on a buzzer that goes every 10 seconds.

On the “chess is it a sport or a game?” question – perhaps closer to a sport is chess boxing
http://wcbo.org/content/e14/index_en.html

By: Owen

Owen — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:23:40 +0000

Snooker and darts could be integrated without any problem, David’s right. I think golf already is on the way to integration (I could be wrong, but I think women can compete in some of the men’s competitions though there’s still a separate women’s tour). Cricket I’m less sure about, since physical strength and running speed are both quite important for it.

As for Semenya herself, I’m not sure what the best outcome would be. As far as I know she isn’t smashing women’s world records or anything, so she could compete in women’s events without totally dominating the sport. If being intersex gives her a physical advantage that she wouldn’t otherwise have then it gets a bit tricky though.

By: Holly

Holly — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:19:45 +0000

Sensitivity is the most basic issue here I think, poor girl. And sensitivity to the difference between biological sex and gender, like you said, is generally lacking in ruling organisations. It’s not like it’s an ethical issue they have to deal with often.

It would kind of seem fair(est) to allow her to compete as a woman, as that’s her gender identity. But then that has so many implications!

Also isn’t it odd that also in Berlin, at the 1936 Olympics (the one with all the pesky nazis)that one of the German female high jumpers ‘Dora’ Ratjen turned out to be a man in disguise. Not a particularly good disguise either.

Not that it’s in any way the same issue, just the same scandal. What is it about Berlin?

By: Matt W

Matt W — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:53:53 +0000

Isn’t Semenya pretty fucked now though – through no fault of her own – ?

What’s she going to do now? – it seems unfair if she is allowed to compete against biological females and she won’t be competitive against male athletes.

Is there any prospect for an intersex category?

Also – apparently there have been a few female athletes who it was later found out (sometimes only upon their death) that they were intersex or hermaphrodite.

All physical sports probably can’t ever be mixed.
Maybe skill sports can though – darts, snooker etc.

Is chess a sport or a game? And are there any top-level female chess players?

By: Jacob

Jacob — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:11:38 +0000

Did you know that Caster Semenya is an anagram of “yes, a secret man”

By: Reuben

Reuben — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:10:20 +0000

I cant think of any game more heterosexually fallic than snooker

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:09:32 +0000

Are there sex distinctions in snooker? I’ve only ever seen male players on TV at the crucible, but is that a rule or just very strong conventoin? Is there a seperate womens cup?

By: Reuben

Reuben — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:23:38 +0000

Luckily in the world’s only worthwhile sport – chess – gender/sex distinctions are irrelevant.

By: David M

David M — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:05:27 +0000

There are several sports where abandoning gender distinction I think could work: golf, snooker and other billards, darts, and dare I say it cricket?