Olympic Champion Caster Semenya Shifts Focus from Medals to Legal Battle against World Athletics' Testosterone Policies

Semenya's legal fight targets World Athletics' rules on testosterone levels in athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD), after European Court of Human Rights ruled in her favor against Switzerland's government for failing to protect her rights, implying a potential overhaul of international athletic regulations.

• Olympic champion Caster Semenya has stated that her focus has shifted from competing in athletic events such as the Olympics to battling World Athletics and its policing of testosterone levels in athletes, particularly those with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD), a condition Semenya herself has.
• Despite having a highly successful career, including two Olympic 800m titles and a four-year unbeaten streak, Semenya is now concentrating on her legal fight against World Athletics. She cites their current regulations for athletes with DSD—requiring testosterone suppression as discriminatory and against the principles of inclusivity.
• The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled in favor of Semenya, implying an overhaul of World Athletics' testosterone regulations could be possible. The case was not against any sporting bodies but against Switzerland's government for failing to protect her rights in a previous court ruling.
• Semenya highlights that the struggle isn't just for her right to compete but for all athletes, especially girls and women with DSD. She protests that the ruling discriminates against athletes with naturally high testosterone levels. Semenya asserts that the regulation is also racial, affecting only brown-skinned females from African and Asian backgrounds.
• World Athletics defends its regulations, reasoning that they aim to protect the female sports category. It dismisses Semenya's claims of racial bias, arguing that DSD conditions occur worldwide and are not confined to specific racial or ethnic groups.

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