South Africa’s super champion Caster Semenya has been granted a court relief to return to running drug-free in her 800-metre races until her appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal has been heard, her lawyers have said.
“The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland has ordered the IAAF to immediately suspend the implementation of the eligibility regulations against Caster Semenya, allowing her to compete without restriction in the female category while her appeal is pending,” Semenya’s lawyers said on Monday.
This relief follows last month’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling against Semenya in Lausanne (Switzerland) which approved the International Association of Athletics Federations’ new rule that Semenya should take drug to lower her hormone levels.
The South Africa, though she is a woman, apparently has XY (male) chromosome as well and the IAAF ruled that it was not fair for her and two other athletes from Kenya and Burundi to compete with fellow women because of their differences in sexual development.
Following the CAS ruling, the IAAF barred the three Africans from running in the 400m, 800m and 1500m races without taking drugs six months before contests in order to reduce their testosterone levels
Semenya last week took her case to the federal court to appeal the CAS ruling which on Monday granted her the relief, ordering the IAAF to let the women run till the appeal has been finalised.
This means that Semenya and her two colleagues are now free to run in the 400m, 800m, and the 1500m distances, the lawyers said.
NM/jn/APA