Caster Semenya received a boost from South Africa Authority despite her recent set back in Switzerland court of appeal in overturned IAAF ruling.
South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa has pledged to fight the “injustice” of the ruling which requires Caster Semenya to take testosterone-reducing medication in order to be eligible to compete.
Semenya lost her appeal against the World Athletics ruling at the Swiss Supreme Court this week.
The current rules force athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) to take drugs to reduce their naturally-occurring testosterone if competing in women’s events ranging from 400 metres to a mile.
DSD athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone need to medically limit that level to less than 5 nmol/L, double the normal female range of below 2 nmol/L.
Mthethwa described the decision to reject the appeal as “very unfortunate and offensive to the fundamental human rights of female athletes classified hyperandrogenic”.
“Both the South African Government and the global sporting community always held a firm view that these regulations are a gross violation of fundamental human rights of hyper-female athletes,” he said, as reported by Political Analysis South Africa.
“We, therefore, rally behind the appeal by both Semenya and Athletics South Africa (ASA) in their legal tussle with World Athletics.
“As the Government of democratic South Africa, a country renowned for its tradition of promoting and protecting basic human rights, together with ASA, we will study the judgment and consider various options and avenues at our disposal in our collective campaign to fight this injustice.”
