A few weeks ago, Beijing based foreign Correspondents touring the Asian games village were stopped in their tracks by a sign that read ‘femininity test’ at the village doping centre,
Even women correspondents gaped, took pictures copious notes asking accompanying officials the significance of the whole thing.
‘What with having given the sports page the missing between heavy reading between the lines to discern the nuances of oriental politics and diplomacy, the phenomenon of drug abuse and male hormone use did not immediately suggest itself to the minds of the intellectual scribes.
But meanwhile the Chinese officials ushering these powerful worthies accredited to the ministry of foreign affairs, no less, were taken aback by all the attention.
While some of them patiently explained that all women athletes would have to take the test as per international regulations, others got busy whispering to each other ‘and apparently asking themselves where they had goofed.
And soon the result of all that activity was plain for all 10 see the sample, stark, Straightforward ‘femininity test’ was replaced with the arcane, sinister sounding ‘ultrasound B mode’
‘The name ‘of that particular game was ‘first simplify then obfuscate.’
Article extracted from this publication >> October 5, 1990
