- The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ruled to suspend the IAAF’s testosterone regulations regarding Caster Semenya’s track eligibility while her appeal against the Australian Sprinter, 16, Runs Record-Breaking 200m I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision, Semenya said in a statement provided to.
- Semenya can continue competing in all track events at this time without taking hormone medication to lower her testosterone levels.
I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision, Semenya said in a statement provided to Major Changes Hit Northern Arizona Elite that two-time Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya of South Africa would be able to continue competing on the track without taking hormone medication while her appeal against the Court of Arbitration of Sport’s (CAS) and IAAF’s testosterone regulations is pending.
“I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision,” Semenya said in a statement provided to Runner’s World. “I hope that following my appeal I will once again be able to run free.”
According to the IAAF’s new testosterone regulations, which were approved by CAS in April, hyperandrogenic women, or female athletes who have natural levels of testosterone that exceed the normal limits for women (anything above 10 nmols/liter), must take hormone suppressants to lower those levels to below 5 nmols/liter in order to continue competing in distances of 1500 meters or less. Additionally, the athletes would have to maintain the lowered testosterone levels for at least six months before competition to be eligible to race.
Semenya, 28, whose eligibility has been questioned by the IAAF since she won her first gold medal at the Africa Junior Championship 800 meters in 2009, filed her appeal challenging the CAS decision to the Swiss court last week. The court’s decision means she can continue competing through the summer in all events—including the 800—without taking medication.
“The Swiss Supreme Court has granted welcome temporary protection to Caster Semenya,” Dorothee Schramm of Sidley Austin LLP, a member of Semenya’s legal team, said in the statement. “This is an important case that will have fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes.”
Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner's World and Bicycling magazines.
