Sweden’s players at the 2011 Women’s World Cup were required to “show their genitalia to the doctor” to verify they were female, according to the team’s central defender, Nilla Fischer.
Fischer, who played 194 times for Sweden, described the procedure, which was conducted by a female physiotherapist on behalf of the doctor, as “humiliating” in her new book, I Didn’t Even Say Half Of It.
After objections from Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana regarding allegations that Equatorial Guinea’s team included men, gender tests were conducted in advance of the 2011 tournament in Germany.
“We were instructed not to shave ‘down there’ in the coming days, and we will show the doctor our genitalia,” Fischer writes. “No one understands the reasoning behind shaving, but we do as we’re told and wonder ‘How did it get to this?'” Why are we required to do this now? There must be alternative methods. Should we not accept?
“At the same time, nobody wants to imperil the chance to participate in the World Cup. We must get the job done regardless of how disgusting and degrading it feels.”
Fischer elaborated on the procedure during an interview with the Swedish publication Aftonbladet. “I realize what I must do and simultaneously pull down my training pants and knickers,” she said. “The physiotherapist bows and says ‘yup’ before turning to face the doctor, who is standing with his back to my doorway. He makes a note before proceeding to the next door in the corridor.
“Once everyone on our team has been checked, i.e., has exposed their vagina, our team doctor will certify that the Swedish women’s national football team consists exclusively of women.”
Fischer responded, “We had a very safe environment within the team.” Therefore, it was likely the optimal environment in which to complete the task. However, this is a very odd situation and not a comfortable way to do it.”
Two weeks before the start of the 2011 World Cup, Fifa issued its current gender recognition policies, which require teams to sign a declaration confirming that the participants selected for the World Cup are “of the appropriate gender.” These regulations state, “It is the responsibility of each participating member association to… ensure the correct gender of all players by investigating any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristic.”
However, it is unclear why Sweden’s players were given a physical exam when the buccal swab test – a cheap and non-invasive method of collecting DNA from the cells on the inside of a person’s cheek to determine sex – has been extensively used for decades.
Sweden’s team doctor for the 2011 World Cup, Mats Borjesson, stated that gender tests were conducted after Fifa demanded immediate testing in response to allegations of male players on Equatorial Guinea’s team.
“Fifa is not being intentionally cruel,” he said. The sports world has attempted to create a level playing field for female athletes so that they do not have to spend their entire lives training, only to have someone gain an unfair advantage.
Fifa stated in a statement that it had “taken note of recent remarks made by Nilla Fischer regarding her experiences and gender verification testing conducted by the Swedish national team during the 2011 Women’s World Cup.”
