short timeline
A Short Timeline: How Sport Has Talked About DSD Over Time
This timeline shows how sports rules have changed over the years, and why recent discussions feel more personal for many families.
It shows that these discussions did not begin with today’s young women and daughters. They are the result of years of rule changes, legal appeals, research debates, and public misunderstanding.
What has changed recently is the visibility and the language - and this can affect how girls and women with DSD feel in everyday life, not only in elite sport.
1960s–1990s - “Sex Verification” at the Olympics
Women competing in international sport were required to undergo chromosome or physical examinations to “prove” their sex. This caused psychological harm, stigma, and public humiliation, and the practice was eventually abandoned on scientific and ethical grounds.
1985 - Maria José Martínez Patiño (Spain)
Maria José Martínez Patiño, a hurdler with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS), was disqualified after a Barr Body (chromosome) test.
She challenged the decision, publicly explained her condition, and helped bring an end to sex verification policies. She is now Professor of Olympic Studies and an advocate for athletes with DSD.
You can read a recent interview with her here.
A fuller account of her experiences is here [Personal Account: A woman tried and tested - The Lancet]
2009 - Caster Semenya (South Africa)
After winning the 800m World Championship at age 18, Caster Semenya became the focus of global scrutiny and invasive testing without privacy. This marked the beginning of the modern debate about DSD in sport.
2011 - IAAF (now World Athletics) Introduces Testosterone-Based Eligibility Rules
Some women with DSD were required to take medication to alter their natural hormone levels in order to compete. Many medical professionals and ethicists raised concerns about consent, evidence, and fairness.
2015 - Dutee Chand (India) Appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
CAS suspended the rules, stating there was insufficient evidence that naturally occurring testosterone in women with DSD created an unfair athletic advantage. World Athletics was instructed to provide stronger scientific evidence.
2018 - Revised Regulations Introduced
World Athletics reintroduced eligibility rules, primarily affecting middle-distance events (400m–1 mile).
These required some women with DSD to alter their bodies medically to remain eligible. The evidence submitted by WA was contested, and the debate continued about (lack of) evidence, ethics, and medical integrity.
2019–2021 - Caster Semenya Appeals Further
Semenya appealed to CAS and the Swiss Supreme Court.
Both courts acknowledged that the regulations were discriminatory, yet deemed them ‘necessary and proportionate,’ and allowed them to remain in place.
It is interesting to read the courtcase records, and the various witness statements. And here is a good summary of Semenya’s (legal) journey.
2024 - Paris Olympics Boxing Controversy
Two boxers were widely reported as having DSD. Media coverage was highly polarised and politicised - increasing anxiety among many families and young people with DSD who felt the language reflected on them personally.
2025 - Introduction of SRY Screening in Some International Sports
Some federations adopt genetic testing as a precondition for female elite competition. This mainly impacts the DSD population and athletes. Medical and ethics organisations raise concerns about scientific validity, lack of genetic counselling and consent, pathways of care, testing of minors, non-compliance with DSD medical guidelines, and the risk of stigma.
10 July 2025 - European Court of Human Rights Ruling
The Court ruled that previous legal processes in Semenya’s case had not sufficiently protected her human rights, and emphasised that sports bodies must ensure regulations are fair, justified, and respectful of human dignity - particularly where rules affect identity and private life.
