Plus ça change....

Back in 2009 I blogged about a South African girl who had won the 800m race at the World Championships of that year.  She certainly didn't look very feminine and questions were being asked as to whether she was in fact female.  Clearly, as I commented at the time, her external physicality must be female, but further tests over the years since have shown that her athletic prowess - and her masculine appearance - are down to her level of testosterone (which is essentially the male hormone) which is some three times higher than in the average woman.  So, here we are seven years later, and the question still is - should she be allowed to compete as a woman?  The problem is that it's not her fault that her testosterone level is so high, but if any other competitor were to artificially raise their testosterone level to match hers, they would immediately be banned under the doping regulations.  It has been suggested that she should take medication to reduce her testosterone level but apparently although this does have the effect of slowing her down, it also has psychological side effects.  So - what to do?  Well, here's an idea - allow her to compete but handicap her.  It must be possible (although bound to be contentious) to calculate what advantage in terms of time she gets over 800 metres and this should be added to whatever time she records.