Brazilian volleyball player Naira Ferreira has said that the decision by the Albanian Volleyball Federation (FSHV) to test her gender and suspend her from playing has disheartened her.
“I feel destroyed, like I’m losing my mind, because I think a lot about why this happened to me, why they did this to me,” said Ferreira, who plays in the women’s top division in Albania.
“Every day in my room I ask myself this question and still I don’t know. I don’t understand why I’m in this situation,” Ferreira told DW. “They asked me for a gender test. I’ve played in seven countries, including Saudi Arabia. I’d never been asked that question before, never.”
Ferreira was suspended by the FSHV in October after two rival teams complained and submitted documents for review. The FSHV said in a statement that “relevant analyses” would be carried out “to verify the natural physical performance and to determine the gender of Dynamo teammate Estefany Goulart Ferreira Naira”.
Ferreira’s club Dinamo reportedly described the decision as absurd and an insult to a veteran player with a distinguished career. The Brazilian has been suspended for three weeks, missing three matches and says she suffered silence throughout.
“I don’t have the words to tell you what I really feel,” Ferreira said. “Why are you [the FSHV] Are you doing this to me? Just because you see my face, just because you see my hair?”
support from the team
Ferreira confirmed that she voluntarily got tested, but only because she wanted to help the club. “I don’t have to prove to anyone that I’m a woman, because I am a woman. That’s 100%.”
Dinamo team captain Elena Bego said that it was a difficult situation for the team.
“It was partly up to me to tell the other players the news. We were all shocked – this case is extremely scandalous,” Bego told DW. “We have supported Naira all the way because we know she is a girl.”
Dinamo head coach Orlando Koza said that Naira’s absence also had a major impact on the game as the team suffered defeats in big games without a key player.
For Ferreira, the situation has had a personal impact, but the Brazilian also feels this is bigger than just his case.
“I think after this situation we need to think about what respect is. Because things like this are how they destroy women in sports,” Ferriera said.
The question of gender identity in women’s sports has become a hot topic of controversy in recent years, particularly following the global controversy surrounding Algerian Olympian Imane Khalife, who won a gold medal in boxing in Paris last summer. This year, World Athletics also decided to make gender testing mandatory for all women competing.
vjosa serkini Interviews were conducted for this article. Edited by Matt Pearson