By Flinster Austin
Published on 2024-02-09 12:36:14
Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya is facing an ongoing legal battle against regulations that require female athletes with high testosterone levels to take medication. The 33-year-old South African athlete has appealed for funds to support her legal battle as she prepares for a May hearing at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Semenya won a long legal battle last July against Switzerland at the ECHR, which ruled that she was the victim of discrimination from the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, Swiss authorities, supported by World Athletics, have taken the matter to the ECHR’s Grand Chamber, which has binding rulings, with hearings set to start on May 15.
At a press conference in Johannesburg, Semenya expressed the need for funds to support her legal battle, stating that she has a team of experts that need to be paid, and any contributions make a huge difference.
Semenya is classified as having “differences in sexual development (DSD)” but has always been legally identified as female. She has refused to take drugs to reduce her testosterone levels since World Athletics introduced the original rules in 2018. As a result, the Olympic 800m champion in 2012 and 2016, and world gold medallist in 2009, 2011, and 2017, has been barred from competing at her favored two-lap distance and was forced to make an unsuccessful move up to 5,000m.
The ECHR’s ruling last July was symbolic, as it does not call into question the World Athletics rule and does not pave the way for Semenya to return to competition without taking the medication. In her book, “The Race To Be Myself”, Semenya confesses that her career at the top is over, and she expressed her focus on being an advocate for young athletes facing similar challenges.
Semenya’s South African lawyers work pro-bono, and they have estimated that the costs for the upcoming ECHR’s Grand Chamber hearings will be about $180,000. The overall cost of Semenya’s decade-long legal battle has reached around 30 million rand ($1.5 million), with fees for experts and lawyers authorized to present the case before courts in Switzerland and elsewhere being the main expenses, according to lawyer Gregory Nott.
World Athletics introduced the DSD regulations to create a level playing field in women’s events. Despite the ongoing legal battle, Semenya failed to reach the 5,000m final at the 2022 world championships in Eugene.
Semenya’s fight against the regulations is not just about her individual career but also about the rights of young athletes with similar challenges. She aims to protect young athletes so they can compete on a level playing field. It’s an issue that goes beyond one individual and has far-reaching implications for the rights of athletes around the world.
