Olympic champion Semenya commented on ECHR ruling in testosterone levels case

Double Olympic champion at a distance of 800 meters Caster Semenya shared his emotion after the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of a drop in testosterone levels.

On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights ruled by a slim four-to-three majority that Semenya’s initial appeal against World Athletics rules had not been properly considered. The athlete was able to defy the rules that require female athletes with high levels of testosterone to reduce this level with the help of drugs. In February 2021, a 32-year-old South African woman seized the Swiss Federal Court after losing her appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“I am delighted with the decision. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I have always spoken out and will continue to speak out against discrimination in any sport. I suffered a lot from the power in place and I was mistreated. The hard work I put in to become the athlete that I am has been called into question. My rights have been violated. It affected my career. Everything is so terrible. Mentally, emotionally, physically and financially,” Semenya said, as quoted by Reuters.

Semenya is a double Olympic champion, triple world champion in the 800 meters. The last time she participated in the world championship in 2017, where she won gold and bronze. The athlete was suspended from the 2019 World Championships in Qatar after the Swiss Federal Court reversed its decision to suspend the IAAF (now World Athletics) rule allowing female athletes with high levels of testosterone.

Reuters