Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Caster Semenya


I recently watched a programme on the South African runner Caster Semenya. In 2009 at the World Championship Athletics, she won the 800m race. Her winning time was 8 seconds faster than her personal best, and prompted an investigation as it was considered to be “the sort of dramatic breakthroughs that usually arouse suspicion of drug use” (The Guardian Online,2009). However it wasn't a drug test that was undertaken but a gender test. She was banned from competing until the results  were received. 

As my new project brief is to look at shapeshifting in relation to sport, I have decided to look into the use of steroids and the idea of gender. My starting point is going to be looking into testosterone, as this is something that is measured in a gender test and also steroids raise the levels of the testosterone hormone, giving you more strength and the ability to perform better. The 'shapeshift' between what classifies you as being a man or a woman.



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