Athlete fails gender test

NEW DELHI – Indian track and field athlete Santhi Soundarajan has been stripped of the Asian Games women’s 800 metres silver medal after failing a gender test in Doha, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said yesterday.

The 25-year-old was asked to undergo a femininity test in the Qatari capital after the December 9 race and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) directed India to return the medal upon the recommendation of its medical committee, an IOA statement said. Santhi’s disqualification allows third-placed Viktoriya Yalovtseva of Kazakhstan to claim silver and Uzbek Zamira Amirova move up from fourth to third.Maryam Jamal of Bahrain won the race.The Indian media have attacked the national athletics federation after it was revealed that Santhi’s application to the state-run railways for a sports quota job was turned down after the athlete failed a medical before the games.The IOA said it would hold an inquiry into the issue which has caused acute embarrassment to Indian sports officials.Nampa-ReutersSanthi’s disqualification allows third-placed Viktoriya Yalovtseva of Kazakhstan to claim silver and Uzbek Zamira Amirova move up from fourth to third.Maryam Jamal of Bahrain won the race.The Indian media have attacked the national athletics federation after it was revealed that Santhi’s application to the state-run railways for a sports quota job was turned down after the athlete failed a medical before the games.The IOA said it would hold an inquiry into the issue which has caused acute embarrassment to Indian sports officials.Nampa-Reuters