Double Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya on Tuesday responded to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland’s decision that she cannot compete until she accepts to be treated with hormone-suppressing drugs.
Olympic 800m gold medallist Caster Semenya at the Top Women Conference in Johannesburg on 14 August 2019. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/EWN
JOHANNESBURG – Double Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya on Tuesday said that “a man can change the rules, but he can’t rule her life”.
Semenya responded to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland’s decision on Tuesday night.
The court dismissed her latest bid to overturn last year’s ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ordered her to take medication to reduce her naturally occurring high testosterone levels before she could compete in events between 400 meters and 1,500 meters.
South Africa’s star athlete reacted on Twitter and she said that while she may have failed to overturn the ruling, the truth was that she had won this battle long ago.
Chills my people,A man can change the rules but the very same man can not rule my life,What I’m saying is that I might have failed against them the truth is that I have won this battle long ago,Go back to my achievements then you will understand.Doors might be closed not locked.
— Caster Semenya (@caster800m) September 8, 2020
The court found that subjecting female athletes to drug or surgical interventions to compete did not amount to a violation of Swiss public policy.
Some competitors claim that women with higher levels of the hormone have an unfair advantage.
