South African athlete, Caster Semenya, has lost her appeal against International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) rules which forces female athletes to regulate their testosterone levels.
The double Olympic champion has been fighting the IAAF on its rules that compel female athletes with naturally high testosterone levels to lower them if they must compete as women.
Despite ruling against her, the three-man panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday voiced its concerns with the application of the “discriminatory” regulations.
The court said in a statement that even though the regulations are “discriminatory…such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the IAAF’s aim of preserving the integrity of female athletics in the Restricted Events.”
Semenya’s testosterone levels are not publicly known, but she is unlikely to be the only athlete affected by the ruling.
Two athletes who finished behind her in the Rio Olympics 800m, Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui, have also faced questions about their testosterone levels.
