In December 1935, Zdenek Koubek, one of the most famous sprinters in European women's sports, declared that he now lives as a man. Around the same time, the famous British track athlete Mark Weston, also registered as female at birth, announced that he too is a man. Magazines and radio shows worldwide broadcast the news, making the two globally famous. However, a few decades later, they were almost forgotten. And in a climate that could have led to the promotion of equality, the opposite happened: a persistent preoccupation with trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming athletes.

In the book The Other Olympians, Michael Waters reveals, for the first time, the fascinating true stories of Koubek, Weston, and other pioneering trans and intersex athletes of their time. Through persistent research and a cinematic perspective, Waters follows how the members of the International Olympic Committee ignored the atrocities of Nazi Germany to hold the Berlin Olympics, a collaboration that ultimately influenced the IOC's nearly century-long obsession with monitoring and recording gender.

Deep and revealing, The Other Olympians is a groundbreaking work, hidden in the archives, an inspiring call for equality, and a substantial contribution to understanding the contemporary cultural wars surrounding gender in sports. Pages: 368, Dimensions: 15.4x15.4cm