THE HISTORICAL ATTACK ON TRANS RIGHTS

Sweden players ‘forced’ to prove they're women at 2011 WC: Had to show genitals

By Mallika Soni
Jun 12, 2023 

The gender tests were carried out around the 2011 tournament in Germany.

Sweden’s players had to “show their genitalia for the doctor” at the 2011 Women’s World Cup to prove that they were women, team’s centre-back Nilla Fischer revealed in her new book ‘I Didn’t Even Say Half Of It’. Nilla Fischer described the process, which was conducted by a female physiotherapist on behalf of the doctor, as “humiliating”, writing, “We were told that we should not shave ‘down there’ in the coming days and that we will show our genetalia for the doctor. No one understands the thing about shaving but we do as we are told and think ‘how did it get to this?’ Why are we forced to do this now, there has to be other ways to do this. Should we refuse?"

Nilla Fischer in a duel with an American player during the 2011 World Cup. (File)

“At the same time no one wants to jeopardise the opportunity to play at a World Cup. We just have to get the shit done no matter how sick and humiliating it feels," she added.

The gender tests were carried out around the 2011 tournament in Germany amid protests from Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana relating to allegations that the Equatorial Guinea squad included men.

In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Nilla Fischer said, “I understand what I have to do and quickly pull down my training pants and underwear at the same time. The physio nods and says ‘yup’ and then looks out at the doctor who is standing with his back to my doorway. He makes a note and moves on in the corridor to knock on the next door."

“When everyone on our team is checked, that is to say, has exposed their vagina, our team doctor can sign that the Swedish women’s national football team consists only of women," adding, “We had a very safe environment in the team. So it was probably the best environment to do it in. But it’s an extremely strange situation and overall not a comfortable way to do it.”

Two weeks before the 2011 World Cup began, Fifa issued its current gender recognition policies which state, "It lies with each participating member association to … ensure the correct gender of all players by actively investigating any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristic.”