At least two other runners, Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Margaret Wambui of Kenya, who are both Olympic medalists, say they are also affected by the rules. They have also railed against the regulations and criticized the IAAF. Semenya said in witness statements to the CAS that she had been subjected to gender verification tests that included an intrusive physical examination ordered by South African track authorities in the buildup to the world championships without being told or understanding the nature of the tests.
She was 18 at the time. Then, after her breakthrough victory at those championships in Berlin, Germany, Semenya said she was taken to a hospital where the IAAF conducted another test on her. Semenya said the IAAF did not ask her if she wanted to undergo the test.
While the testosterone may have some impact on how the body works, it is impossible to quantify how much effect it is having. The study on which the current decision is based contains only correlations and is flawed in several ways, with a call for its retraction on scientific grounds. It is a single study, conducted by the IAAF and the full data have not been released for independent replication.
Her body has grown up in the presence of a certain level of testosterone of uncertain function. Our bodies are complex, and still poorly understood. A change of this kind may lead to unexpected results. Some of these reductions in functions may be unjust. Read more: Testosterone: why defining a 'normal' level is hard to do. No one has given a complete description of the role of testosterone in someone like Semenya, nor how much it ought to be reduced to achieve a supposedly fair outcome.
The comparisons are only with XX chromosome women, who have a very different physiology and normal functioning testosterone receptors. The science around testosterone in intersex conditions is poorly understood, let alone as it applies to individuals. This is a level chosen for convenience, not a level that will negate any perceived advantage, but go no further.
Yet Semenya is asked to cobble her natural potential as a female competitor. She must take risky biological interventions to reduce her performance. Read more: It's not clear where human rights fit in the legal ruling on athlete Caster Semenya. Other women with disorders resulting in higher than expected levels of testosterone, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, are not required to reduce their biological advantage.
Competitors with genetic mutations causing increases in red blood cell mass, and who experience enhanced oxygen-carrying capacity as a result, are not required to reduce their biological levels. He and won several Olympic medals with this natural form of doping. Firstly, it was the IAAF which moved from sex to gender definition of female in s. Semenya has entered competition, trained and competed fairly under the rules. To change them now will be undermine her capacity to compete, work and live, after a lifetime of investment.
Three sports judges in Switzerland have taken more than two months to reach this verdict - indicating the sensitivity and complexity of the case. Depending on your point of view, the situation seemed clear-cut - whichever way you want to look at it.
Supporters of Semenya argue that the runner has been penalised for no other reason than the biological traits that she was born with. She has not cheated, or found to be taking performance-enhancing drugs. Kyle Knight, a researcher in the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch said that taking the proposed IAAF testosterone suppressants would be as "humiliating as it is medically unnecessary" for female athletes whose hormone levels are outside accepted boundaries.
And in , the spectrum of identity stretches beyond the binary, say human rights activists. So shouldn't Semenya's physical abilities be celebrated the same way as Usain Bolt's height and Michael Phelps's wingspan are?
But the fact that the ruling is over women competing at the distances she runs - and not across all track and field - has led to the suggestion she is being targeted. But the IAAF insist they are determining boundaries to protect the integrity of sport - particularly women's sport. IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe told Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper: "The reason we have gender classification is because if you didn't then no woman would ever win another title, or another medal, or break another record in our sport.
We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. The rules, issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations IAAF , require some female runners whose bodies produce high levels of testosterone to take medication to lower those levels.
Many saw the rules as a direct effort to target Semenya, who is believed to have a condition that produces high testosterone. The runner appealed the new regulations, but on Wednesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against her.
Semenya, who is South African, identifies as a woman and has never publicly discussed her medical history. Her career is a reminder that when people challenge perceived ideas about masculinity and femininity, their bodies can become fodder for public discussion — often against their will.
Caster Semenya, as she is usually known in the press, first gained worldwide attention in when she competed in the meters at the world championships in Berlin. She was 18 years old. Even before her first race in Berlin, though, others in the track and field world began questioning her gender. The issue seemed to be that Semenya appeared masculine to some observers, and that she was fast.
Semenya went on to win gold in Berlin, but she was also subjected to a battery of tests by the IAAF designed to determine whether she should be allowed to race as a woman. She is a man.
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