South African human rights groups join Semenya’s battle against ban

JOHANNESBURG – South African human rights groups have pledged to petition the United Nations and the African Union on the latest ruling that the country’s 800-meter Olympic champion, Caster Semenya, cannot compete unless she takes anti-blood pressure medications. hormones.

Last week, the Swiss Supreme Court dismissed Semenya’s appeal against a decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport on the eligibility criteria for athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD).

The South African, two-time gold medalist, who has elevated testosterone levels due to DSD, identifies as a woman and runs as a woman.

But for World Athletics, women with some masculine attributes like Semenya have an unfair advantage, a position hotly contested by South African officials.

The South African Commission for Human Rights (SAHRC) and the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) announced plans this week to petition the UN and the AU, claiming the regulations constitute “serious human rights violations.”

“Caster and other women cannot be subjected to these horrible acts,” CGE spokesman Javu Baloyi told AFP.

He asked why other athletes were not penalized for natural advantages such as “large lung capacity.”
“Usain Bolt, look at his height,” Baloyi said, referring to the Jamaican speed champion.

“Should we then reduce his height and long legs so that he can compete equally with other athletes?”

In 2018, the governing body for international athletics banned Semenya and other DSD athletes from races between 400 meters and a mile, unless they take drugs to lower testosterone.

Semenya, 29, unsuccessfully challenged the rules of world athletics before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, after which he went to the Swiss Supreme Court.

He lost that last appeal on September 8.

The gender commission hopes that the “discriminatory and unethical” rule will be removed.

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