For two to three decades, medical professionals and scientists have dismissed the act of sex-testing in sport, determining the practice arcane, useless and invasive. The controversy surrounding South African sprinter Caster Semenya and gender testing that followed her 800-meter victory at the 2009 IAAF World Championships helped reveal a history of bad science and sexism that has put female athletes in compromising and humiliating positions over the years.
Here's what FIFA has to say about all that science, sexual equality stuff: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
According to a report from Public Radio International, FIFA continues to test Women's World Cup competitors to confirm their sex as female. As to how they do it — that's where the details get shady.
Katrina Karkazis, a bioethicist from Stanford University, told PRI that the German soccer team had requested gynecological records of its players to determine sex. But FIFA's actual policy remains in the dark. While Karkazis says we know that tests have included body and genital exams in the past, their current method isn't publicly known.
But here's the rub: It doesn't matter where FIFA is looking. Because the science is bogus.
"These kinds of tests have been roundly criticized by medical organizations starting 20 to 30 years ago," Karkazis told PRI. "Because you can't test for a person's sex."
Why? Because, as Karkazis points out, there is no singular trait — be it chromosome composition, genital makeup or magic stamp — that all women share.
The science is so arcane that the International Olympic Committee — not exactly known for its progressive policies — has done away with the practice. Even worse, the act of sex-testing reveals, once again , FIFA's institutional sexism. The PRI report cites stories from The Guardian and elsewhere that suggest men do not undergo the same scrutiny.
The Women's World Cup, hosted by Canada, kicks off on Saturday. But its participants already fought a foe: They had to beat bad science before they could play the game.