María José Martínez-Patiño: Athlete and the Sex-Testing Case
10/11/2026 · Updated on: 10/11/2026
María José Martínez-Patiño (born 10 July 1961) is a Spanish former 100 m hurdler. In 1985 a sex chromatin test at the World University Games in Kobe led to her removal from the Spanish team. She has complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, and her athletics licence was restored in 1988.
Who is María José Martínez-Patiño?
María José Martínez-Patiño is a Spanish hurdler who became one of the best-known figures in the history of sex verification in sport. She competed in the 100 m hurdles in the early 1980s and later wrote about her experience and about hyperandrogenism policies. Her 1985 case is still cited in debates on eligibility rules for women's competition.
What happened in Kobe in 1985?
In 1985 she failed a sex chromatin test at the World University Games in Kobe, Japan, and was later classified as male on the basis of a 46,XY karyotype. In 1986 she was removed from the Spanish team and lost her scholarship and her residence at the athletes' centre. Her licence was restored in 1988 after a defence led by geneticist Albert de la Chapelle.
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Passes a sex test at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki and receives a "certificate of femaleness" | Wikipedia, citing Schultz |
| 1985 | Fails the sex chromatin test in Kobe after forgetting the certificate; two months later she is classified as male from a 46,XY karyotype | Wikipedia, citing Zeigler, Ljungqvist and Schultz |
| 1986 | Told to withdraw quietly or be denounced, she wins a 60 m hurdles race at the Spanish championships; the press turns against her and she loses her scholarship and residence | Her Lancet account |
| 1986 | De la Chapelle calls the screening method "inaccurate and discriminatory" in JAMA | Wikipedia, citing Wiesemann |
| 1988 | After de la Chapelle's defence, her IAAF licence is restored about three months later | Wikipedia, citing Schultz |
| 1992 | Tries to qualify for the Olympic Games and misses by one-tenth of a second | Wikipedia, citing Schultz |
| 2005 | Publishes "Personal Account: A Woman Tried and Tested" in The Lancet | PubMed / DOI |
| 2012 | Co-authors a paper with Hida Viloria on hyperandrogenism policies in The American Journal of Bioethics | Wikipedia, citing Viloria and Martínez-Patiño |
| 2025 | Calls World Athletics' new genetic test "a setback of several decades" | DW, 1 September 2025 |
The chronology follows the English-language Wikipedia entry and the primary Lancet account listed under Sources.
What is complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS)?
Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) is a condition in which a person with one X and one Y chromosome has a body that cannot respond to androgens, the hormones that drive typical male development. MedlinePlus states that the external sex characteristics are typical of females, that there is no uterus, and that the testes remain in the pelvis or abdomen. It affects 2 to 5 in 100,000 newborn females, according to the same page.
Because the cells do not respond to androgens, circulating testosterone does not produce the effects it has in other bodies. This is the central point of her case: a karyotype alone does not describe how a body develops or performs. For a general introduction, see what AIS is, and for the differences between forms, complete versus partial AIS. The page on intersex women covers the wider context.
What did she write in The Lancet in 2005?
In December 2005 she published "Personal Account: A Woman Tried and Tested", a first-person account of her experience, in a supplement of The Lancet (volume 366, supplement 1, page S38). The text is indexed on PubMed and available through its DOI67841-5).
The piece is the main primary source for the events after Kobe: the pressure to withdraw quietly, the 1986 race, and the loss of her scholarship and residence.
What has changed in sex testing since then?
Sex verification in elite sport has moved from chromatin tests to hormone-based eligibility rules and, in 2025, to genetic testing. The DW report of 1 September 2025 says World Athletics introduced genetic testing for women competing at elite level, and that Martínez-Patiño considers it "a setback of several decades".
- Screening method: chromatin tests of the 1980s were replaced by hormone thresholds for hyperandrogenism, now followed by genetic testing.
- Who is affected: athletes with differences of sex development, including women with CAIS.
- Other known cases: Caster Semenya, Santhi Soundarajan and Dutee Chand have faced comparable eligibility reviews.
Readers looking for the myths that surround these cases can start with common myths about AIS.
FAQ
Who is María José Martínez-Patiño?
She is a Spanish former hurdler who later wrote about her experience. Her sex-testing case ran from 1985 to 1988.
How old is María José Martínez-Patiño?
She was born on 10 July 1961, so she is 65 years old as of November 2026.
What condition does she have?
Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, with a 46,XY karyotype.
Is her partner or family public?
There is no reliable published information. Only her public career is documented.
Did she get her licence back?
Yes. Her IAAF licence was restored in 1988.
Sources
- Martínez-Patiño MJ. "Personal Account: A Woman Tried and Tested." The Lancet, 366 (Suppl 1), December 2005, S38.
- PubMed record of the same article, PMID 16360746.
- MedlinePlus Genetics, "Androgen insensitivity syndrome", updated 1 April 2024.
- DW, "Sex testing in athletics a setback to science?", 1 September 2025.
- Wikipedia, "María José Martínez-Patiño", English edition.
This text is informational and not medical advice; consult a qualified clinician.