Semenya loses appeal against IAAF’s testosterone rule

The International Association of Athletics Federations has won an appeal lodged against it by South African athlete Caster Semenya, over rules that would force some female athletes to medically reduce their levels of testosterone.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed Semenya’s appeal on Wednesday, which means that, short of an unlikely victory in Switzerland’s Supreme Court, female athletes with hyperandrogenism, which results in testosterone levels at par or even higher than males, will have to continuously suppress their testosterone levels to be eligible to compete in IAAF events.

Interestingly, 3-judge panel acknowledged that IAAF’s rules were discriminatory, but, 2-1, ruled that, “on the basis of the evidence submitted by the parties, 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.”

The judges wanted IAAF to hold off applying the rule on the 1,500m and the 1-mile race, but allowed the IAAF to apply the rules from the 400m to the 800m events.

Events beyond 400m and 1500m are not targeted by the new IAAF rules.

Caster Semenya is the most prominent victim of CAS’s ruling. Indeed, the United Nation’s Human Rights Council even voiced its support for Semenya, arguing that forcing somebody to reduce naturally occurring hormones could be a breach of international rules on human rights.

With the appeal quashed, Caster Semenya has a very short time to be considered eligible for 400-1500m events, especially the 800m event, where she has two Olympic gold medals.

The IAAF rules demand that such female athletes must reduce the blood testosterone levels for a continuous period of at least 6 months, and then maintain these levels after competitions.

Otherwise such athletes will not be eligible to participate in the international competitions of said events, with other females. However, they could compete in these international events against men.

With the World Championships coming up in September, Caster Semenya would be time-barred from participating. However, the IAAF has allowed her to start taking testosterone-suppressing medication, within a week, if she so chooses.

Assuming she’s not pursuing the case further.