Maria José Martínez-Patiño (born 10 July 1961) is a Spanish former hurdler, whose dismissal from the Spanish Olympic team in 1986 for failing the gender test is a notable moment in the history of sex verification in sports. Martínez-Patiño was dismissed after a competition that would have set her up for participation at the 1988 Summer Olympics. She was shamed publicly when she participated in a hurdles event in the Spanish national championships in 1986, but fought the loss of her IAAF license successfully and was able to compete for participation in the 1992 Olympics. Since then she has written about her experience, and her test and its fallout has become a highly publicized and frequently cited case concerning sex testing as well as the privacy of athletes.
Martínez-Patiño had a successful athletic career, participating in the 100 meters hurdles. Her best time in the event is 13.71 seconds, which she achieved in Madrid in 1983. She also had a notable performance at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, where she achieved a time of 13.78 seconds.
However, Martínez-Patiño’s career took a dramatic turn when she faced sex testing in 1985. She is an intersex woman who has androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). In 1983, she had passed a sex test at the IAAF World Championships and received a certificate of femaleness. But in 1985, she failed the sex chromatin test, which ruled her ineligible to participate in women’s athletics. This test was taken during the 1985 World University Games in Kobe, Japan, as she had forgotten to bring the result from a previous test she had passed.
The sex chromatin test was not intended to provide a definitive decision on an athlete’s eligibility. However, officials from the International Olympic Committee and the International Association of Athletics Federations routinely advised athletes to fake an injury after failing such a test to protect their privacy. Following this advice, Martínez-Patiño complied and stayed silent.
Two months later, Martínez-Patiño received a letter classifying her as male, citing her karyotype as 46,XY. It is important to note that her androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) negates any perceived advantage she could have had. Martínez-Patiño was disqualified for an advantage she did not possess.
In 1986, despite the challenges she faced, she defied the odds and entered the 60 meters hurdles event in the Spanish national championships. She was given an ultimatum to withdraw quietly or be publicly denounced. Martínez-Patiño chose to compete and won the event, but suffered the consequences in the Spanish press. She lost her scholarship and athletic residency and paid a high personal price by losing her privacy and her fiancé.
However, Martínez-Patiño did not give up and continued to fight her expulsion from the sport. In 1988, she was defended by genetic scientist Albert de la Chapelle, and three months later, her IAAF license was restored.
Following her experiences, Martínez-Patiño has become an advocate for the rights and privacy of intersex athletes. She has written about her journey and has contributed to the debate on sex testing in sports, highlighting the need for fair and inclusive policies.