By Shawna Healey
Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya has lost her landmark case against athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (I.A.A.F.).
Semenya has been ordered to undergo treatment to medically reduce her natural testosterone levels in order to continue to compete in international women’s races of distances between 400m and a mile.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has commented that “such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the I.A.A.F’s aims of preserving the integrity of female athletics.”
The I.A.A.F. accepts female athletes with naturally high testosterone levels as legally female, yet for competitive purposes, it effectively considers them biologically male. This landmark decision has now given a green light to put in place further rules to limit testosterone levels in certain women’s events that synthesise speed, power and endurance.
Semenya tweeted a picture that read simply: “Sometimes its better to react with no reaction”.
Semenyna had previously claimed that forcing athletes with naturally-occurring high levels of testosterone to take hormone-altering medication ought to be unlawful. She has been under scrutiny since 2009, when she won the first of her three world titles at the World Championships in Berlin.
The two-time Olympic champion has one of various genetic conditions known as differences or disorders of sex development (DSD).
For many, this decision rings with racism and misogyny. As one twitter user put it: “this decision will go down in the annals of history. Not just as a mistake, but a hideous, racist, misogynistic, and colonially managed acquiescence to white fears. Solidarity with Caster Semenya, whose womanhood, blackness & humanity have all been subject to outrageous abuse.”
Featured image and gallery: Sam Holmes From Mirfield to Manchester, this Yorkshire-born four-piece bring their funk-interwoven indie rock to a sold-out Gorilla for their biggest headline show to date. Fresh off the back of their new single ‘Watch Life Burn’ and signing their first record deal with This Feeling/ LAB Records, there is already a…
Featured image and photography: Aaron Parsons / Press Haiden Henderson isn’t a name known to many in Manchester, but the Californian rockstar certainly made sure to leave a lasting impression. With sensual and sexy songs, Henderson really knows how to heat up a crowd in more ways than one. Unreleased track ‘Freak For You’ sets a…
Feature image: Press The Manchester Film Festival has wrapped its 12th edition, running over 11 days and showcasing a strong line-up of local and international talent from across the independent film industry. Festival director Neil Jeram-Croft reflected on this year’s programme, filled with a mix of features, shorts and documentaries spanning the cities’ cinema hotspots:…
Featured image: Press Toots and the Maytals return to Manchester for their ‘Reggae Got Soul’ 50th anniversary tour. Following their hugely successful 2025 tour, Toots and the Maytals return to Manchester to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their landmark album, Reggae Got Soul. Fronted for decades by Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert – named by Rolling Stone…
Leave a reply