Harare — Two-time Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya won her case on the regulations limiting testosterone in competing women athletes, BBC reports.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in favour of Semenya in a case involving testosterone levels in women athletes, and concluded that the South African 800m gold medallist faced discrimination.
Semenya, world champion in the 800 meters and a Commonwealth champion in the 800 and 1500 meters, was embroiled in a protracted legal battle with World Athletics ever since the organization’s rules on hormone therapy were implemented in 2018.
She won the 800m gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but the testosterone regulations have prevented her from competing in that race since 2019, therefore she was unable to defend her title there.
Responding to the ruling, World Athletics said it adhered to its policies and that they would continue to be followed for the time being.
“World Athletics notes the judgment of the deeply divided Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). We remain of the view that the DSD regulations are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of protecting fair competition in the female category as the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Swiss Federal Tribunal both found, after a detailed and expert assessment of the evidence,” read the statement.