Latest news with #Semenya
IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Caster Semenya's court victory: A beacon of hope for future athletes, says former SA Olympian
Caster Semenya's recent court victory against World Athletics' testosterone-lowering regulations has been celebrated as a significant milestone in her ongoing fight against discrimination, inspiring future athletes and highlighting her lasting impact on South African sports. Picture: Phill Magakoe/AFP Following Caster Semenya's court win last week, which ruled that the athlete did not have a fair trial on whether she should have to lower her testosterone levels, it has been seen as something of a milestone achievement. Semenya's career was effectively cut short in 2018, once she was required to take testosterone-lowering medication to be eligible to compete. Since then, Semenya has fought the World Athletics ruling and gone to various courts to plead her case. Semenya had also hoped the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) would rule that she had been the victim of discrimination in one of her legal tactics, but was unsuccessful.
eNCA
12-07-2025
- Sport
- eNCA
Semenya's legal team to consider options following victory at European court of Human Rights
JOHANNESBURG - Caster Semenya's legal team is considering the way forward for the two-time Olympic Champion. READ: Caster Semenya | Semenya's right to a fair hearing violated This follows a European Court of Human Rights ruling which said Semenya was unfairly treated in her case against World Athletics at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Upon his return from France, Semenya's lawyer spoke exclusively to eNCA's Thabiso Sithole about the journey they've travelled to get justice.
IOL News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
CGE hails Caster Semenya's court victory as a pivotal moment for human rights in sport
Caster Semenya won in a landmark ruling in Switzerland. Image: File The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has welcomed the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights judgment that found that South African Olympian Caster Semenya was denied a fair trial by Switzerland's legal system. In a 15-to-two decision, the Grand Chamber ruled on Thursday that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court did not sufficiently review Semenya's appeal. This appeal was against the 2019 decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which had upheld World Athletics' differences in sex development (DSD) regulations. This signifies a major turning point in her continuing legal struggle against rules that mandate athletes with differences in sex development to medically change their inherent hormone levels for competitive purposes. Semenya was awarded €80,000 (about R1.6 million) in legal costs by the court, despite not having sought damages. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading This decision, while not directly overturning the DSD regulations, paves the way for further legal challenges and increased scrutiny of how national courts address arbitration decisions concerning fundamental human rights. Javu Baloyi, spokesperson for the CGE, stated that the commission's monitoring role of international instruments, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Maputo protocols, is mandated by the CGE Act 39 of 1996, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA). 'The CGE believes that it is important that state parties intentionally commit to eliminating discriminatory practices against women at all levels of society,' he said. The commission stated that this case was a test of how effective these instruments are and how the courts consider them in the advancement of gender equality. The CGE has played a critical role in this matter and has further lobbied for support both nationally and internationally, said Baloyi. 'We noted and welcome the judgment as it confirms that a right to a fair trial was infringed. We believe that a fair trial would have vigorously reaffirmed that the regulations are a form of unfair discriminatory practice that violates the right to dignity, equality, and bodily integrity, among others,' said Baloyi. According to Baloyi, from this ruling, the court succinctly pointed out that the limitation of Semenya's rights is based not on existing law but rather on the regulations of a sporting body.. 'Sporting bodies must develop regulations that seek to promote inclusivity and not discriminate unfairly against any person based on their gender.' Baloyi said the CGE would be engaging Athletics South Africa (ASA), South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), and other stakeholders in ensuring Semenya's rights and that of athletes with DSD are allowed to participate in sport both locally and internationally are affirmed. The CGE will continue to heighten activism against the World Athletics regulations that are discriminatory, he added. 'The CGE will draw lessons from this case and continue to influence and determine how to tackle gender discourse at the national, regional, and international levels.'
11-07-2025
- Sport
Caster Semenya's sex eligibility battle has confounded sports for 16 years and still isn't over
CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- One of the most complex current issues in sports can be traced back to a track meet in Germany in 2009, when an unknown 18-year-old from South Africa blew away a field of the best female runners on the planet to win the world title. The teenager was hardly out of breath when she flexed her muscles at the end of it. What quickly became clear is that sports faced an unprecedented dilemma with the arrival of Caster Semenya. Now a two-time Olympic and three-time world champion in the 800 meters, the 34-year-old Semenya has been banned from competing in her favored event since 2019 by a set of rules that were crafted by track authorities because of her dominance. They say her natural testosterone level is much higher than the typical female range and should be medically reduced for her to compete fairly against other women. Semenya has refused to artificially alter her hormones and challenged the rules claiming discrimination at the Court of Arbitration for Sport court in Switzerland, then the Swiss Supreme Court and now the European Court of Human Rights. A ruling Thursday by the highest chamber of the European court — Semenya's last legal avenue after losing at the other two — found that she was denied a fair hearing at the Swiss Supreme Court. It kept alive Semenya's case and reignited a yearslong battle involving individual rights on one hand and the perception of fairness in sports on the other, with implications across the sporting world. Semenya is not transgender and her case has sometimes been inaccurately conflated with that of transgender athletes. She was assigned female at birth, raised as a girl and has always identified as female. After years of secrecy because of medical confidentiality, it was made public in 2018 that she has one of a number of conditions known as differences of sex development, or DSDs. They are sometimes known as intersex conditions. Semenya was born with the typical male XY chromosome pattern and female physical traits. Her condition leads to her having testosterone levels that are higher than the typical female range. World Athletics, the track governing body, says that gives her an unfair, male-like advantage when racing against other women because of testosterone's link to muscle mass and cardiovascular performance. It says Semenya and a relatively small number of other DSD athletes who emerged after her must suppress their testosterone to below a specific level to compete in women's competitions. The case has transcended sports and reached Europe's top rights court largely because of its core dispute: Semenya says the sports rules restrict the rights she has always known as a woman in every other facet of life and mean she can't practice her profession. World Athletics has asserted that Semenya is 'biologically male." Track and field's regulations depend on the conclusion that higher testosterone gives rise to an athletic advantage, though that has been challenged in just one of the many complicated details of Semenya's case. To follow the rules, DSD athletes must suppress their testosterone to below a threshold that World Athletics says will put them in the typical female range. Athletes do that by taking daily contraceptive pills or using hormone-blocking injections and it's checked through regular blood tests. Track first introduced a version of its testosterone regulations in 2011 in response to Semenya and has made them stricter over the years. The current rules require athletes affected to reduce their testosterone for at least two years before competing and throughout competitions, effectively meaning elite DSD runners would be constantly on medication to stay eligible for the biggest events like the Olympics and world championships. That has troubled medical experts and ethicists, who have questioned the 'off-label' use of birth control pills for the purpose of sports eligibility. While Semenya is the only athlete currently challenging the regulations, three other women who have won Olympic medals — Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, Margaret Wambui of Kenya and Christine Mboma of Namibia — have also been sidelined by the rules. The issue came to a head at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when Semenya, Niyonsaba and Wambui won the gold, silver and bronze medals in the 800 meters when the rules were temporarily suspended. Supporters of the ban cited that result as evidence they had an insurmountable advantage over other women. World Athletics is now considering a total ban on DSD athletes like Semenya. Its president, Sebastian Coe, said in 2023 that up to 13 women in elite track and field fell under the rules without naming them. Track's DSD rules became a blueprint for other sports like swimming, another high-profile Olympic code that has regulations. Soccer is considering testosterone rules in women's competitions. Sex eligibility is a burning issue for the International Olympic Committee and new president, Kirsty Coventry, who was elected in March. It was brought into urgent focus for the IOC after a sex eligibility scandal erupted at last year's Paris Olympics over female boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Most sports will watch the direction of Semenya's case closely as it is sent back to the Swiss Supreme Court, and possibly to sport's highest court, even though that could take years. The ultimate outcome — whether a victory for Semenya or for World Athletics — would set a definitive precedent for sports because there has never been a case like it.
The South African
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Gayton McKenzie welcomes Caster Semenya ruling
Gayton McKenzie has expressed his support for this week's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) involving Caster Semenya. Image: SASCOC Home » Gayton McKenzie welcomes Caster Semenya ruling Gayton McKenzie has expressed his support for this week's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) involving Caster Semenya. Image: SASCOC Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has expressed his support for the recent ruling by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) involving Caster Semenya. This ruling upheld a 2023 decision by the ECHR's lower chamber, which found that Semenya was denied a fair and effective hearing by the Swiss Federal Tribunal. This was part of the two-time Olympic champion's seven-year legal battle against the eligibility rules in track and field. On Thursday, the court's 17-judge panel ruled in a 15-2 vote that Semenya's rights to a fair hearing were violated at Switzerland's Supreme Court, where she had appealed a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in favour of World Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) believes that the decision marks a critical moment in the long-standing battle for the dignity and human rights of female athletes with differences of sexual development.'Caster, we as South Africa have always stood by you, and we will continue to do so as the fight for your bodily rights continues,' the Minister said. From the outset, the department said the South African government stood firmly behind Semenya. 'Through the current DSAC and the former Department of Sport and Recreation, a coordinated and multi-sectoral response was established that included expert panels in the legal, medical, and advocacy spheres. 'The department also launched the #NaturallySuperior campaign to mobilise public awareness and international solidarity, highlighting that Semenya's natural talents should be celebrated rather than policed.' DSAC committed financially in support of Athletics South Africa's legal efforts with Semenya and further engaged with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to elevate the matter internationally, leading to a strong resolution on the matter at the United Nations Human Rights Council.'This resolution condemned the current regulations against her as a violation of bodily integrity, equality, and freedom from cruel or degrading treatment.'While the recent ruling has not overturned these discriminatory regulations, it is an important legal and moral victory, which opens new legal avenues and affirms the right of athletes such as Semenya to be heard on just and equal terms. DSAC said it will continue working with Athletics South Africa, legal experts, and other African governments and federations to pursue justice through all available channels, including within the structures of World Athletics.'Caster Semenya has become the face of defiance against injustice in global sport, and this court victory is a victory for every African child. South Africa is proud of her, and we will walk every step of this journey with you, Caster, until justice is not only seen, but felt,' said McKenzie. 'We can't wait to see you running again,' he added. Meanwhile, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) said they have noted the judgment handed down by the ECHR. 'The Commission is still studying the judgment. A formal statement on our position will be released in due course,' the statement read. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
