Caster Semenya Won’t Be Competing Without Taking Hormone Suppressing Drugs

SA Olympic runner, Caster Semenya who has won double Olympic gold medal and 800m world-record holder, lost her court case at the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. This follows after the Swiss body upheld its position to deny Caster the opportunity to compete unless she takes hormone suppressing drugs for her higher levels of testosterone.

The 29 year old Olympic runner won’t be able to defend her 800m title at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Semenya was assigned female at birth, raised as and identifies as a woman but has XY chromosomes and exceptionally high testosterone levels

The Swiss federal tribunal,  supported a decision by CAS, the court of arbitration for sport, that track and field’s policy for athletes with differences in sex development is imperative to ensure fair competition in women’s sport.

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Caster Semenya said in an interview:

‘I am very disappointed. I refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am. Excluding female athletes or endangering our health solely because of our natural abilities puts World Athletics on the wrong side of history. I will continue to fight for the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born. I know that the IAAF’s regulations have always targeted me specifically,” Semenya said in a statement after the issuance of the decision. For a decade, the IAAF has tried to slow me down, but this has actually made me stronger.’

She also added that “The decision of the CAS will not hold me back. I will once again rise above and continue to inspire young women and athletes in South Africa and around the world.’

Although the Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture, Nkosinathi Mthethwa, is yet to issue a statement on this regard, the world stands strongly behind her as they take to twitter their support for Caster, while slamming the decision upheld by the Swiss Court.

See tweets below;