The Double Olympic gold medallist and 800m world-record holder, who has been embroiled in a long battle to compete despite having higher levels testosterone, has lost her court case at the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. The setback comes after the Swiss body upheld its position to deny Caster the opportunity to compete unless she takes hormone suppressing drugs.
This simply means that Mogkadi, as she is affectionately known, won’t be able to defend her 800m title at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
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The star athlete Tweeted her disappointment but in Caster Semenya fashion, she also reiterated that she was also a winner and her accomplishments cannot be taken away from her.The Swiss federal tribunal said that it supported a decision by CAS, the court of arbitration for sport, that track and field’s policy for athletes with differences in sex development is imperative to ensure fair competition in women’s sport.
In a video interview, Caster Semenya said: ‘I am very disappointed. I refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am. Excluding female athletes or endangering our health solely because of our natural abilities puts World Athletics on the wrong side of history. I will continue to fight for the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born.’
‘I know that the IAAF’s regulations have always targeted me specifically,” Semenya said in a statement after the issuance of the decision. “For a decade, the IAAF has tried to slow me down, but this has actually made me stronger.’
She added, ‘The decision of the CAS will not hold me back. I will once again rise above and continue to inspire young women and athletes in South Africa and around the world.’
Despite her positivity during such a difficult time, the rest of the world has been Tweeting their support for Caster, while slamming the decision upheld by the Swiss Court.
Some Tweeps raised some valid questions that seem to contradict the banning of drugs in sport, with one Tweep going as far as suggesting that other athletes should take drugs to enhance their abilities and compete on the exact same level as everyone else.
The Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture, Nkosinathi Mthethwa, is yet to issue a statement condemning the decision and showing support for Caster Semenya but the rest of the world is definitely behind her.
Main Image Credit: The New York Times
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