The athlete who changed the rules on sex tests
How a Spanish woman hurdler won the right to compete despite having male chromosomes
In the 1980s, the Spanish hurdler Maria-Jose Patiño was forced to quit athletics after a sex test revealed she had male chromosomes due to a rare genetic condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Often facing hostile press coverage, Patiño fought a two-year battle to change the international rules – successfully proving that her chromosome pattern did not improve her athletic performance and that her body was the same as any other woman’s. Patiño was allowed to compete again in female athletics and her case is now seen as a milestone in the continuing controversy over genetic variation in sport. Maria-Jose Patiño talks to Jo Casserly.
PHOTO: Maria-Jose PatiΓ±o in the 1980s (Personal Collection)
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Thu 15 Apr 2021 09:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Thu 15 Apr 2021 23:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Sat 17 Apr 2021 04:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service South Asia & East Asia only
- Sat 17 Apr 2021 17:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service News Internet
- Sun 18 Apr 2021 18:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
Olympic history
The inside and personal story of the key moments from sporting history
Sporting Witness Films
Watch sporting heroes tell their stories of astonishing achievement
Podcast
-
![]()
Sporting Witness
Personal stories of amazing moments from sporting history told by people who were there
