Helen Stephens

1936 Olympic gender controversy At the 1936 Olympics, it was suggested that both Stephens and Stanisława Walasiewicz were, in fact, male. Stephens received scrutiny over her gender after her 100 m victory, with the Warsaw-based newspaper Kurier Poranny writing, "It is scandalous that the Americans entered a man in the women's competition." Other newspapers soon also reported on Stephens alleged lack of femininity. Stephens later told her biographer that she told reporters who questioned her about her gender "to check the facts with the Olympic committee physician who sex-tested all athletes prior to competition."

Newspapers soon reported that German officials had given Stephens a so-called sex test and let her compete only after they had confirmed she was a woman. The Harrisburg Telegraph reported that International Olympic Committee performed a physical check on Stephens and concluded that she was a woman. These reports were denied by IOC committee member Avery Brundage and no further evidence surfaced. In 1938, Paul Gallico in his book Farewell to Sport suggested that American sports officials had examined Stephens prior to the Olympic games. On August 28, following the Olympics but before returning to New York, Stephens wrote in her diary that she was inspected by American officials. Walasiewicz in fact had been born intersex, a fact not made public until after her death in 1980.