Caster Semenya: ‘They’re killing sport. People want extraordinary performances’

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Admin

South African Olympic champion on her ECHR appeal, her 5,000m ambitions and campaigning for athletes like her in the future

Caster Semenya should be angry, but she isn’t. As the clock ticks down towards the Tokyo Olympics, the South African should, like her rivals, be training for the push to land a third consecutive gold medal.

Instead, the 30-year-old, who has fought a wave of prejudice and stigma throughout her life, is forlornly waiting on news from the European court of human rights (ECHR), which, in turn, could convince World Athletics that being asked to take medication is perhaps not the most humane way of dealing with a woman who has a congenital condition some believe hands her an unfair advantage.

World Athletics accused over ‘abusive sex testing’ of athletes from global south

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Admin

Human Rights Watch says testing regulations are demeaning and target women based on racial stereotypes

World Athletics, the sport’s global governing body, targets women from countries in the global south for “abusive sex testing” based on arbitrary definitions of femininity and racial stereotypes, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

A report by the rights group, published on Friday, claims female runners are being pushed out of competitive events, which some rely on for their livelihoods. Athletes struggle with emotional trauma and feel discriminated against and humiliated by the testing, said HRW.

Caster Semenya starts ‘new journey’ after joining football team

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Admin

South African eyeing debut with JVW next season
Janine Van Wyk: ‘She has all the fundamentals’

The two-time Olympic 800m gold medallist Caster Semenya appears to be preparing for a career outside of athletics after joining a women’s football club.

The 28-year-old is currently appealing against a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which approved the IAAF’s introduction of a new testosterone limit for female athletes.

Caster Semenya ruling ‘tramples on dignity’ of athletes, South Africa says

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Admin

Olympian receives strong backing from South African government and fellow athletes

South Africans have expressed widespread support for the double Olympic champion Caster Semenya, who will run her last 800m on Friday before the imposition of controversial new rules limiting testosterone in female athletes.

Tokozile Xasa, the sports minister, said on Thursday that the South African government was disappointed with the ruling by the court of arbitration for sport that women with unusually high testosterone levels, such as Semenya, would have to take medication to significantly reduce their testosterone before they were permitted to compete internationally at distances between 400m and a mile.