South Africa’s World and Olympic Champion Caster Semenya has decided to take her fight against the IAAF ban on her running the 800m race to the European Court of Human Rights for a hearing, the athlete said on Friday.
The International Association of Athletics Federation banned Semenya from racing due to her naturally high testosterone levels, with the world athletics body claiming that her participation disadvantaged the other female athletes.
Unless the South African athlete took drugs for six months before a race to reduce her hormone levels, she would not be allowed to contest in the 800m races, the IAAF said.
Semenya disagreed with this ruling, and unsuccessfully challenged the IAAF rule at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, which sided with the federation, before appealing to the Switzerland’s Supreme Court, which also dismissed her appeal last August.
Left in limbo, now Semenya said she had decided to take her fight to the European Court of Human Rights, Europe’s highest judiciary forum, to seek justice that would overrule the Swiss Courts.
According to the talented gold medallist, the IAAF’s ban violated her right to “run free” as a woman and an athlete whose “only crime” was to have naturally high testosterone levels.
She said she would take her grievances to the EU court to rule that the Swiss court had failed in its obligations to protect her from violations of her rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
“This fight is not just about me, it’s about taking a stand and fighting for dignity, equality and the human rights of women in sport,” Semenya tweeted.
She added: “All we ask is to be able to run free as the strong and fearless women we are. Thank you to all of those who have stood behind me.”
Semenya did not give the date when the European court’s proceedings would commence hearing her case.
NM/as/APA