Olympic 800-meters champion Caster Semenya has had her appeal dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of regulations to limit testosterone in female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs).
CAS ruled on Wednesday that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) regulations are needed to ensure fair competition between athletes who compete in events ranging from 400-meters to a mile, previously calling the hearing one of the most important ever to appear before the court.
It means that Semenya and other affected athletes hoping to compete at the World Championships in Doha in September would have to start taking medication to lower their testosterone level to below the required five (5) nmol/L within one week.
It is a special concession made by the IAAF due to the length of time it has taken CAS to reach a verdict. However, in future athletes will be required to have reduced their blood testosterone level to below the stipulated concentration for a period of six months before they can compete.
“The Panel found that the DSD Regulations are discriminatory, but the majority of the Panel found that, on the basis of the evidence submitted by the parties, such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the IAAF’s aim of preserving the integrity of female athletics in the Restricted Events.
“By majority, the CAS Panel has dismissed the requests for arbitration considering that the Claimants were unable to establish that the DSD Regulations were ‘invalid.'”
However, in a 165-page award, the CAS Panel expressed some serious concerns as to the future practical application of these DSD Regulations.
