Gender test reduction a sport first

The latest Pan Am Games mark a first for women in sport in that gender tests are not being conducted.

Before the Winnipeg games, every woman was subjected to a gender test, while men were not.

The test doesn't detect drug use.

It merely determines chromosomal make-up.

Dr. Wayne Hildahl, Pan Am's Chief Medical Officer says these games are the first major sporting event to scale back gender tests.

"Because PASO, the Pan Am Games Organization follows rules of the International Olympic Committee, we were able to change our policy here and not do gender verification on all women," says Dr. Hildahl.

Sandy Kirby is an Olympian who's studied gender tests and lobbied to have them banned.

"The first one was called a peek a boo test. They would literally pull out your track pants and make sure you had the right genitalia, that was in 1966 shortly to be followed by what was called the naked parade," she says.

At the 1967 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, female athletes had to strip nude and walk in front of three female gynaecologists.

All because a male athlete masqueraded as a female back in the 1930's.