Top Female Athlete Turns Out to Be Male

[quaoar]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200502090647.html

The Herald (Harare)

February 9, 2005
Posted to the web February 9, 2005

Bulawayo Bureau
Harare

IN one of the biggest scandals to rock Zimbabwean sport, a male athlete, Samukeliso Sithole, masqueraded as a female and represented the country in international events raking in millions of dollars.

The discovery of the deception has left authorities baffled.

Sithole's female friend has since filed crimen injuria charges against the top Zimbabwe and Lancashire Steel Athletics Club runner after she undressed in his full view being under the impression that he was a woman like her.

The athlete was immediately arrested by Mbizo police on being found out following which he was arraigned before Kwekwe magistrate Mrs Siphathimisiwe Makuvaza on February 4 on two counts of crimen injuria and impersonation.

[TexasLawyer]

1. I HATE it when that happens! n/t

[rayofreason]

2. D'oh!!!

[tinrobot]

3. It's a MAN, baby....

I've waited for years to be able to say that and really mean it.

[msmcghee]

4. I hate it too.

As a transsexual I believe that sports competition should be conducted according to the xx, xy chromosome makeup of the athlete. Sports should be about fairness and adherence to rules on a level playing field - not political statements about gender.

Of course, what sports follow that model any more anyway? Today's sports are all about steroids, performance enhancers, winning at any cost and multi-million dollar contracts. Still, I don't want to see anyone with a body that was born as one gender - using it to compete against others who were born as a different gender.

Note: There are many people who have yy and other anomalies involving those chromosomes - that could affect their musculature and bone structure. To be fair - scientists should weigh in on this and suggest ways to make sure that competition remain fair for whatever chromosomal makeup one has.

That is, if anyone in sports still thinks it's important to maintain a semblance of fair competition. I think sports are probably way beyond that point now. Sports are now basically ways to make lots of money by entertaining people. Fairness, if it's not important to the viewers who pay for it, are not going to be important for the athletes or the owners.

Ya pays for what ya git - but ya don't always get what ya pay for.

[derby378]

5. Time for Zimbabwe to play The Crying Game

Dude looks like a lady...

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. One thing to remember - 5,500 Zimbabwean dollars = 1 US dollar

so "raking in millions of dollars" needn't be that big an amount.

[NV Whino]

7. Good post

I think it's time to make sports about fun again.

Not money.

Not steroids.