PROXIMITY FILMS
Category: Woman
In the wake of the Paris Olympics and relentless misinformation, and racism surrounding champion women Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, the policing of women's bodies, gender discrimination and the attack on our identities as female athletes in international sport remains an issue that has plagued women's sport for decades.
OLYMPICS
Francine Niyonsaba: "I didn't choose to be born like this..."
The Rio 800m silver medallist from Burundi opens up about her tough career start, her dreams for Olympic glory and the medical data hack.
OLYMPICS
Margaret Nyairera Wambui on testosterone rule: "I became a victim."
The Olympic 800m bronze medallist doesn’t know how to rebuild her life following the implementation of the DSD regulations. She reveals in our exclusive interview how it derailed her career. "It affected me a lot. I didn't want to train or do anything," the Kenyan told us.
OLYMPICS
Kenyan Maximila Imali speaks about life-changing DSD discovery
Maximila Imali was thrown out of Kenya's World Relays team after being found to have high testosterone stemming from a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD). In an exclusive interview with Olympic Channel, she speaks honestly and powerfully about the changes in her life - including the death of her mother - since the discovery. Having switched to jumps and shorter distances than those covered by the IAAF's hyperandrogenism regulations, Imali says she is determined to reach the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
KUCHU TIMES
Too Fast to Be a Woman? The Story of Caster Semenya
In 2009, eighteen-year-old Caster Semenya won the 800m world title, then faced invasive rumours and sex verification tests, secretly arranged by officials. Suspended for eleven months, she struggled with isolation and lost motivation while lawyers fought for her. Cleared in July 2010, she finally returned to racing and won comfortably.
HER GAME HER STORY
Dr. Payoshni Mitra - Interview on experience of working with women athletes and sportpersons
Dr. Payoshni Mitra is the Director and Trustee, Centre for Sport and Human Rights, Geneva, and a renowned sports activist who helps women sportspersons in their fight for justice. She shared her valuable experience of working with women athletes, elaborated on her case studies and also pointed out the major challenges that women sportspersons face.
CNN WORLD
'I felt my life is over': Negesa shares her harrowing story
World Athletics' rules on natural testosterone levels have barred some women from competition. Meet two elite athletes who are fighting for acceptance. Editor's Note: This story is part of As Equals, CNN's ongoing series on gender inequality.
VPRO TEGENLICHT
The Gender Games
The Gender Games is a 2022 Dutch documentary from VPRO Tegenlicht on whether gender-inclusive sport can coexist with fair competition. It looks at sex testing and testosterone limits in women's athletics, which can exclude women with naturally high testosterone, and hears from athletes, activists, academics and IOC officials about what the future of women's sport should look like.
REUTERS
International Olympic Committee's gender policy divides opinion as supporters, critics clash
Dr. Payoshni Mitra, founder of advocacy group Humans of Sport, described the ruling as "a safeguarding disaster" and said it appeared to be driven more by politics than by science.
"It's not science‑based, it's stigma‑based," Mitra said in an interview with Reuters. "It's more under political pressure rather than really what is required in women's sport."
NEW YORK TIMES
Olympic Committee Bars Transgender Athletes From Women’s Events
Payoshni Mitra, executive director at Humans of Sport, a group that has focused on the issue, was critical of the new Olympic policy. “This kind of brutal language doesn’t protect sports — it polices women’s bodies,” she said in a statement to The New York Times. “It fuels suspicion, invites public scrutiny and puts already vulnerable athletes at risk.”
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
Statement from Secretary of State van Koeverden on the International Olympic Committee decision regarding transgender women athletes
“Sport has the power to unite Canadians, build stronger communities and support well-being across the country. Our government believes in a sport system that provides opportunities for all Canadians, including the transgender community, to participate in sport and excel without discrimination.
SKY NEWS
Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya shapes up for new battle with the IOC
For Caster Semenya, the new Olympics rules are not about providing clarity and protecting women's sport but caving into political pressure, and are discriminatory.
INDEPENDENT
France condemns Olympic genetic testing as a ‘step backwards’
France’s sports minister has strongly condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to introduce genetic testing for women’s events, labelling it a "step backwards" and warning of significant ethical, legal, and scientific ramifications.
TIME
Caster Semenya: The IOC's Ruling is a Disgrace
When I was asked to consult on the IOC policy, I made it clear that I didn’t want to be a token voice. Why be present if I cannot use my experience and expertise to shape policy?
ASSOCIATED PRESS
For female athletes of color, scrutiny around gender rules and identity is part of a long trend.
More women from the Global South or developing countries are affected by sex testing in sports, said Payoshni Mitra, executive director of Humans of Sport, an advocacy organization that focuses on human rights issues for athletes. She has worked with dozens of female athletes across Asia and Africa to fight sex testing practices.
NEW YORK TIMES
Fighting for the Body She Was Born With
Payoshni Mitra, a researcher and activist on gender and sports, suggested that Chand appeal the ban that has kept her from competing.
NEW YORK TIMES
Rights Group Demands End to Sex Testing of Female Track Athletes
A Human Rights Watch report said that regulations governing athletes with differences of sexual development are harmful and disproportionately affect women of color from developing nations.
NEW YORK TIMES
This Intersex Runner Had Surgery to Compete. It Has Not Gone Well.
Annet Negesa, Uganda’s 800-meter Olympic hopeful, says she was advised to undergo an irreversible surgery because of naturally elevated testosterone levels. Her career has never been the same.
SPOTLIGHT SPORTCAST
Dr Payoshni Mitra - Human Rights Defender In Sports
Dr Payoshni Mitra, a former badminton player, is a leading athlete rights activist focused on abolishing sex testing policies in women's sports. She collaborates with athletes across Asia and Africa, helping them address human rights violations and communicate with sports governing bodies and stakeholders.
DEUTSCHE WELLE
Do the Olympic rules have to change?
Do the Olympic rules have to change? Athletes' rights activist Payoshni Mitra speaks with DW.
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
European Court of Human Rights find in favour of Semenya
This week the European Court of Human Rights found that the state of Switzerland discriminated against intersex athlete, Caster Semenya; Dr Payoshni Mitra supported her challenge and responds to the decision which she says 'brings a ray of hope while challenges remain'.
NDTV | We The People
"In Sports, Hierarchy Can Create Abusive Power"
When asked if this incident and protest is just the tip of the iceberg, Payoshni Mitra, CEO of Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sports, said that "in sports there is this hierarchy which we need to address and understand that such a hierarchy can create abusive power."
THE TIMES UK
Caster Semenya’s lawyer wants answers over ‘misleading’ study that led to ban
World Athletics is facing renewed calls to scrap the controversial rules barring Caster Semenya and other runners with high testosterone levels from elite competition after doubt was cast on the scientific evidence.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
End Abusive Sex Testing for Women Athletes
Human Rights Watch partnered with expert scholars Payoshni Mitra and Katrina Karkazis to conduct research in 2019, interviewing affected athletes, coaches, and other officials and experts relevant to this issue, as well as reviewing court and medical documents.
CREA
Dutee Chand in Conversation with Dr. Payoshni Mitra
Human Rights Watch partnered with expert scholars Payoshni Mitra and Katrina Karkazis to conduct research in 2019, interviewing affected athletes, coaches, and other officials and experts relevant to this issue, as well as reviewing court and medical documents.
THE TELEGRAPH UK
Sporting regulations that pressure DSD athletes into medical procedures should be banned, UN says
A report puts pressure on states to intervene, ruling that sports courts 'are not designed to fully address human rights complaints'
THE TELEGRAPH UK
Report calls for an end to 'harmful' rules limiting female athletes' testosterone levels
World Athletics governing body has described report as one-sided and says it was not invited to respond
CLARIN
Payoshni Mitra, la defensora de las atletas perseguidas por su testosterona alta: “Se violan sus derechos“
Clarín charló con la abogada india y ex jugadora de bádminton que defendió y defiende las luchas de Santhi Soundarajan, Dutee Chand, Caster Semenya y Annet Negesa.
TAZ
Activist on hyperandrogenic female athletes
Activist Payoshni Mitra advocates for female athletes with higher testosterone levels. She calls for an end to compulsory medical interventions.
THE TELEGRAPH UK
Impending Caster Semenya verdict could have impact far beyond athletics
Athletics is holding its breath ahead of the Cas judgement on testosterone rules
NEW YORK TIMES
The Humiliating Practice of Sex-Testing Female Athletes
Payoshni Mitra, a researcher and activist on gender and sports, suggested that Chand appeal the ban that has kept her from competing.
WBUR RADIO
Who is a woman and who is a man isn't as easy as we think it is, especially when it comes to sports.
JM: Payoshni Mitra took a train and a bus and anything she could to get to Dutee Chand's side and say, "Listen, you don't have to go through this surgery or you don't have to take these drugs. You can fight this." And in many cases, the athlete hasn't had these advocates. That's why we haven't heard about them in the news, they haven't complained about it.