Sarah Gronert is ranked 555 (23 Mar 2009) in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), but in 2009 has won two $10,000 titles, including Raanana in Israel on 2 Mar 09.Schlomo Tzoref coaches one of the players Gronert beat in Raanana, and he is quoted as saying “There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams. When I heard her story, I was in shock. I don't know if it's fair that she can compete or not. She does have an advantage, but if this is what the WTA have decided, they probably know best."
Sarah Gronert was born intersex i.e. with genitals/hormones that are neither 100% fully female nor 100% fully male. She had surgery three years ago (at age 19), pleaded her case with the WTA, and was allowed to compete.
One other commentator has suggested that any testosterone level above female norm, at any time in life, including in the womb, might give Gronert an unfair advantage.
In May 2004, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) changed from evaluating the eligibility of transsexual athletes on a case by case basis to using a fixed set of rules. Earlier, in 1990, a seminar convened by the International Association of Athletics Federations recommended that any person who had undergone sex change before puberty should be accepted to participate under their new gender.
But the classification of those people who underwent the operation after puberty was more problematic, since they had been influenced during puberty by hormones under their former gender. In particular, male puberty affects the level of testosterone, which could, theoretically, affect performance even after a male-to-female sex change.
So in May 2004, the IOC decided that individuals undergoing sex reassignment after puberty could compete, but only under certain conditions.
- Surgical changes must have been completed, including external genitalia changes and removal of gonads.
- Legal recognition of their assigned sex must have been conferred by appropriate official authorities.
- Hormone therapy -- for the assigned sex -- must have been given for long enough to minimize any gender-related advantages in sport competitions, a period that must be at least two years after gonadectomy.
The circuit rules that apply where Gronert won also require gender testing, and implement checks on transsexual athletes nearly identical to the IOC ones.
Sarah Gronert wins http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-professional-tennis-star-born-a-hermaphrodite-ignites-controversy/
May 2004. International Olympics Committee allows transsexual athletes to compete http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/05/17/olympics.transsexual/
Rules applicable where Gronert won http://www.itftennis.com/shared/medialibrary/pdf/original/IO_38975_original.PDF
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