South African athlete and Olympic champion, Caster Semenya has lost the court challenge against the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) new testosterone rules.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday rejected Caster Semenya’s challenge against IAAF rules forcing her to lower her testosterone levels to compete with women, even as judges labelled the regulations “discriminatory.”
The three judge panel found that the rules targeting athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) were “discriminatory” but that “such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the IAAF’s aim of preserving the integrity of female athletics.”
Semenya, along with Athletics South Africa (ASA) had been fighting a highly-publicised case against the IAAF, which seeks to limit natural levels of testosterone in female athletes in the distances that Semenya excels at.
See related tweets below:
What the IAAF is basically saying is that the existence of intersex athletes doesn’t matter, because what matters is prevailing a sports categorization based on outdated knowledge that doesn’t acknowledge biological diversity. #CasterSemenya https://t.co/oJpujr15bX
— Wiktor Dynarski (@wdynarski) May 1, 2019
This is what I call victory for mankind: the Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected renowned #SouthAfrican runner #CasterSemenya appeal over IAAF testosterone regulations. Sports participation should be equal and fair. Excellent ruling pic.twitter.com/xbH8AMnpL1
— Mahmoud Jay Letsie (@jayletsie101) May 1, 2019
Am I missing something because I thought the ENTIRE POINT of sport was to highlight natural advantages? #CasterSemenya
— Sarah (@madgirlwithabox) May 1, 2019
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