Report: Female Athlete Fails Gender Test
An Indian runner who won a silver medal in the women's 800-meter run at the Asian Games earlier this month has failed a gender test and is likely to be stripped of her medal, news reports said Monday.
Santhi Soudarajan, 25, was made to take the gender test in Doha, Qatar after her victory.
The test reports sent to the Indian Olympic Association on Sunday said she "does not possess the sexual characteristics of a woman," The Times of India reported. The test was administered by a medical commission set up by the games' organizers.
During an awards ceremony held in her native province Monday, Santhi said, "I do not want to talk about it," when asked about the failed tests.
There are no compulsory gender tests during events sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federation, but athletes can be asked to take a gender test. The medical evaluation panel usually includes a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, and an internal medicine specialist.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, chairman of the medical commission of the Indian Olympic Association told the Indian Express newspaper that the Olympic Council of Asia had been informed of the results of Soudarajan's gender test.
It was not unclear whether Santhi, who comes from a poor family, had undergone a sex change procedure in the past, reports The Times of India.
Sports officials in the athlete's home state of Tamil Nadu said that they have no information on her whereabouts.
"If the reports are true, then it is very sad and extremely disappointing," her coach, P. Nagarajan, told the Indian Express.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Santhi Soudarajan, 25, was made to take the gender test in Doha, Qatar after her victory.
The test reports sent to the Indian Olympic Association on Sunday said she "does not possess the sexual characteristics of a woman," The Times of India reported. The test was administered by a medical commission set up by the games' organizers.
During an awards ceremony held in her native province Monday, Santhi said, "I do not want to talk about it," when asked about the failed tests.
There are no compulsory gender tests during events sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federation, but athletes can be asked to take a gender test. The medical evaluation panel usually includes a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, and an internal medicine specialist.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, chairman of the medical commission of the Indian Olympic Association told the Indian Express newspaper that the Olympic Council of Asia had been informed of the results of Soudarajan's gender test.
It was not unclear whether Santhi, who comes from a poor family, had undergone a sex change procedure in the past, reports The Times of India.
Sports officials in the athlete's home state of Tamil Nadu said that they have no information on her whereabouts.
"If the reports are true, then it is very sad and extremely disappointing," her coach, P. Nagarajan, told the Indian Express.
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This may be a case of jealousy or corruption- who is in charge to make this accusation, who is ordering these random "gender tests", who is administering them & reading (or intentionally mis-reading) the results???
If they had any doubts wouldn't they have brought this up before? Seems to me that there is some political motivation behind this.
Posted by Plowhandle at 05:47 PM : Dec 18, 2006"
LOL
Isn't that the truth.
Definitely looks almost like a man in the face, but maybe he lack the equipment downstairs. LOL
And the Indians are known to be hung like hamsters.
It was said on the movie Jurassic Park, "what did someone go out into the park and start lifting skirts?" Just a thought LOL!!!!!
Meh, my point being that maybe in places like Qatar they're not so accepting of the full range of human genders - if this woman is something like this then that would be kind of sad . . . like she must feel like she doesn't fit in anywhere.