Double 800-meter Olympic champion Caster Semenya has won a partial victory at the European Court of Human Rights in her long legal battle over athletic sex eligibility rules.
Semenya was born with differences of sexual development and has been unable to compete in the 800 metres since World Athletics brought in rules in 2019 restricting testosterone levels for set and track events.
The court ruled that the South African athlete had some of her rights to a fair hearing violated at Switzerland’s Supreme Court, where she had appealed against a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding some of the World Athletics Regulations. However, the court failed to pronounce itself on the question of Semenya’s being discriminated against in Swiss courts. Semenya’s case could now go back to the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne.
It doesn’t mean she can compete again but it puts more pressure on sports bodies to be more circumspect when they’re setting regulations and to have at the heart of those regulations, making sure that they don’t violate human rights. It’s been very interesting watching Caster over the years.
After her first medal as a teenager, there was celebrations across the country for winning a gold medal at the Olympics, however that joy was quickly stripped away from her. She has been media shy for years, only rarely communicating with the media. This young woman had been robbed of a chance to enjoy her victory and enjoy a thriving international career.
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