Transsexual athletes who have undergone a sex-change operation are now allowed to compete in the Olympic games. The International Olympic Committee stated in November 2003 that, “We will have no discrimination,” at the Olympics.
In order to compete in the Olympics, athletes must first, qualify for their sport. Trans athletes must also have completed sex-reassignment surgery, have their gender identity be legally recognized and must have been on hormones long enough that they would not have any gender-related advantage in sports competition. The rules cover both female-to-male and male-to-female transsexuals.
There have not been any reports of out transsexual athletes at the Athens Olympics. Up until the Sydney Olympics in 2000, athletes were routinely checked to verify their gender. The ruling was changed because women can have non-traditional chromosomes or be born with ambiguous genitalia.
Transsexuals have long fought for the right to compete in sports. One of the most famous transsexual athletes was Rene Richards who competed in women’s tennis in the 1970s. She did not play in the Olympics.
Michelle Dumaresq (33) is Canada’s downhill mountain bike champion for 2003. She is also transsexual. She completed her sex-reassignment surgery from male to female in 1996. Michelle has competed in the pro circuit, but downhill mountain bike racing is not yet an Olympic sport.
Although Michelle did not compete as a racer when she was male, she did ride challenging courses all through her childhood. She claims that once she transitioned, she noticed the change in her physical fitness level. She said that without testosterone muscle mass decreases and she has to work extra hard to maintain her top physical condition.
Others say that male-to-female transsexuals will have an unfair advantage of size and strength. They may even have a greater lung capacity than female-born women. Even some in the medical profession disagree about whether or not a transsexual woman will have an advantage over other women. There has been no research on the topic. But with the new International Olympic Committee ruling, we may soon find out.
