South Africa’s Caster Semenya loses suit against IAAF
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/05/south-africas-caster-semenya-loses-suit.html
South African 800m runner Caster Semenya has lost her all-important
suit against International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF),
over her testosterone levels, in a decision that might determine the
future of the athlete.
On a majority decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
dismissed requests for arbitration filed by the South African runner
Semenya, and Athletics South Africa (ASA), against the IAAF regarding
Differences in Sexual Development (DSDs).
The ruling means that the 800m Olympic champion will have to take
medication to reduce her testosterone if she wants to run
internationally at events between 400m and a mile.
The surprise verdict, which was announced on Wednesday after three
arbitrators had spent more than two months deliberating over the complex
and highly contentious case, came even though CAS agreed that the
IAAF’s policy was “discriminatory” to athletes with DSDs such as
Semenya.
However two of three arbitrators accepted the IAAF’s argument that
high testosterone in female athletes confers significant advantages in
size, strength and power from puberty onwards, and said the policy was
“necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to ensure fair competition in
women’s sport.
It means that all DSD athletes, who are usually born with testes,
will have to reduce their testosterone to below five nmol/L for at least
six months if they want to compete internationally at distances ranging
from 400m to a mile.
The IAAF, which welcomed the news, said their policy would come into place on May 8.
Semenya, who has long argued that her unique genetic gifts should be
celebrated not regulated, confirmed that she was considering an appeal
and insisted that she believed that the DSD regulations would be one day
overturned.
Meanwhile, CAS has described Semenya’s case as “one of the most
pivotal” it has ever heard considering that it is considered the highest
court in sport, and its decision is regarded as final.