Caster Semanya Can Once Again Compete After Swiss Court Ruling
Following a Swiss Court ruling, Caster Semanya will be free to compete without taking testosterone-reducing medication after the Swiss Court temporarily suspended a new IAAF ruling.
The 28 year old Olympic Champion lost her challenge to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CaS) against the implementation of restriction or suppressing of testosterone levels in female athletes especially those who run the 400m to 1 mile distances.
“I hope following my appeal I will once again be able to run free,”Caster Semanya said.
“I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision.”
Following the ruling by CaS, the Olympic Champ took her appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, citing the need to defend ‘fundamental human rights’.
Dr. Dorothee Schramm who served as her legal representative said that the court has granted a temporary protection to the South African and that the case it was an important one that will overall have implications on the human rights of female athletes.
“The court has granted welcome temporary protection to Caster Semenya.
“This is an important case that will have fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes.”
The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland in a statement said it had “super-provisionally instructed the IAAF to suspend the application of the ‘Eligibility Regulations for the Female Classification for athletes with differences of sex development’ with respect to the claimant, until the decision on the request for issuance of provisional measures”.
In addition, the statement read: “At present, it is not known when the Swiss Federal Supreme Courts will issue an interlocutory order concerning these provisional measures.”
However, the IAAF said it is yet to receive any notification of the new ruling from the Swiss Court.
In its initial judgement the Court of Arbitration for Sports said it found out that the new ruling proposed by the IAAF for athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) were discriminatory but insisted that the decision was indeed necessary, reasonable and proportionate to protect the integrity of female athletics.
