South Africa’s Hockey Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marissa Langeni, Netball South Africa’s CEO, Blanche de la Guerre and Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis have pledged their support for the country’s track and field star, Caster Semenya.
This as the hearing on the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAFF) proposed rules enters its second day in Lausanne, Switzerland.
On Monday, Semenya complained to the panel at the hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport that the IAAF had breached the rules regarding confidentiality.
Semenya and a high-level South African team are fighting proposed new IAAF rules that would limit the testosterone levels in certain women athletes.
These supporters from the sporting fraternity had this to say about Semenya:
“From South African Hockey, we obviously fundamentally cannot support anything that would discriminate against women participating in sport. We really cannot standby and sit and see what is happening to our golden girl Caster,” says Langeni.
Blanche de la Guerre says: “We agree it’s a discrimination she’s not the only athlete that was born with a high testosterone level and many athletes went through the same participating. Why Caster now?”
“I think it’s sad it doesn’t just affect Caster, but its directed at her and she is affected in that way. But I think it affects all other kinds of sport and I think the government has come out in support. We as Banyana already read out a message of support in Cape Town. We are behind her 100%,” adds Banyana’s Ellis.
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