The ban is one of many controversies dogging a sporting spectacle that opens on Friday – a year late – amid a global pandemic, a slew of scandals and deep disquiet over potential risk to life of staging a mega event between 206 nations.
For some of the women who have trained relentlessly for the chance at middle-distance glory, the intersex dispute is a mere distraction.
For those sidelined – a disaster. “It broke my heart when I was told I couldn’t run in my favourite 400m event because I had higher testosterone,” Aminatou Seyni said in an email sent by her athletic federation in Niger. “I didn’t want to take any medical steps… My hormones are natural,” said the 24-year-old, who will run in the 200m where high testosterone is no barrier.