Sex Verification Testing of Athletes

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Topic

Resource Type

Level

High School — General High School — AP/IB College

Used In

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Description

This interactive module explores the biology of sex determination and development in humans, set against the backdrop of the different sex testing policies implemented throughout sports history.

The Click & Learn uses ongoing debates about the eligibility of certain female athletes to participate in women's events as an entry point for students to learn the processes involved in human reproductive development. Students apply what they have learned to evaluate the results of different tests that have been used throughout sports history to qualify female athletes to compete.

The accompanying worksheet guides students’ exploration.

Student Learning Targets

Describe how biological sex and gender differ from each other.
Describe how mutations in a variety of genes can affect the development of internal and external sex characteristics.
Explain how characteristics associated with biological sex may affect athletic performance.

Estimated Time

One to two 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

chromosome, differences in sex development (DSD), estrogen, Olympics, ovary, primary/secondary sex characteristic, sex determining region Y (SRY), testes, testosterone, X inactivation