ZURICH: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has argued that Olympic champion Caster Semenya is “biologically male”. According to documents, she should reduce her natural testosterone to be allowed to compete in female competitions.
The documents released by sport’s highest court show that Semenya responded by telling the judges that being described as biologically male “hurts more than I can put in words.”
The 28-year-old South African runner said she was unable to express how insulted she felt at the IAAF “telling me that I am not a woman.”
The IAAF’s stance on Semenya and other female athletes affected by its new testosterone regulations — and Semenya’s outrage at the biological male claim — was revealed in a 163-page decision published by the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Tuesday’s fuller court records, which were still redacted, show the IAAF referred to the two-time Olympic and three-time world champion as one of a number of “biologically male athletes with female gender identities.”
Arguing that Semenya and others like her should be subject to its hormone limits to ensure fairness in female competitions, the IAAF stated: “There are some contexts where biology has to trump identity.”
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