Aprilia Manganang is an Indonesian volleyball player who played professional volleyball as a female athlete for nearly 10 years. But shockingly after retirement, she has come out publicly as a male.

Gender Controversies With Female Athletes

This is not the first time that any female athlete has been charged with gender fraud. Nancy Navalta, a Philippine runner was charged with hiding real gender. Navalta had clocked 11.44 secs in a 100-meter dash before the 1996 Atalanta Olympics.

Gender Controversies With Female Athletes, Nancy Navalta : SportzPoint — Nancy Navalta: Image- AP Archive

"Flat chest, muscled physique and whippy moustache" - female athletes with these features always had to go through some controversy. Society never applauded a woman with features and power like men. In India female athletes also go through the same kind of treatment. However, it was sprinter Dutee Chand who was the first to come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community publicly.

With all these sayings, female athletes need to pass some testosterone levels to prove their position in the female category. Perhaps, some also have taken advantage of having more testosterone levels and won competitions.

Read Also: Mother's Day 2024 | Women In Sports: Female Athletes and Motherhood

Aprilia Manganang: A female player who turned out to be a man

The 5'7" outside hitter appeared as a female athlete until her retirement in 2020. Aprilia Manganang was born with hypospadias. Hypospadias is a common variation in the fetal development of the in which penis the urethra does not open from its usual location in the head of the penis.

However, Manganang discovered his condition later in his volleyball career. Until then she was brought up like a girl child. Though she could feel she was different from other girls.

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It was at the 2015 South East Asian Games when the doubt started rising. The Philippines team appealed that Manganang should undergo a gender test. However, the appeal was rejected by the competition's committee.

With all these going around him, he went on to become a bronze medal at the 2017 SEA Games. Along with that he also won four domestic titles. To be clear, he won all of those medals as a female.

Indonesian key female volleyball player turns out to be a man | SportzPoint — Image Courtesy: Vietnam Times

Aprilia Manganang and the Gender Controversy

Post-retirement, Aprilia went on to serve the Indonesian Army. The army medical revealed that he has Hypospadias. They also confirmed the fact that they are all fine with him being a male or female.

Later, the Indonesian army accepted his wish for corrective surgery and to be legally recognized as male. In a press conference set by the Army he said,

This is a moment I've been waiting for. I am so happy. I am grateful to all of the doctors who have helped me,

After his first few phases of his surgery

Army Chief of Staff General Andi Perkasa stressed that Aprilia is not transgender. Moreover, the Army also accepted his appeal to legally recognize him as male.

This news has brought happiness to the fighters of gender discrimination. All of Indonesia has been supportive of him considering his tough life till now.

Man or woman or even neither, I’m still a big fan of Aprilia Manganang. Proud red and white beast on the volleyball court. https://t.co/RhczfcEm8Y
— kusumandaru (@aan__) March 10, 2021

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