Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered a landmark judgment concerning South African runner Caster Semenya.
Semenya has been fighting a legal battle in relation to her higher-than-normal levels of natural testosterone whereby the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since re-named World Athletics, was requesting Semenya to take hormone medication in order to decrease her natural testosterone level in order to be able to take part in international competitions in the female category.
Semenya’s nightmare journey started off back in 2009, wherein following her victory in the 800m race at the World Championship in Berlin, the IAAF informed Semenya that she would have to decrease her testosterone level beyond a certain imposed limit should she wish to participate in future international events.
Whilst initially complying with the regulations by undergoing the required treatment to reduce her testosterone levels, Semenya stopped the treatment following the landmark ruling delivered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the Dutee Chand case wherein the CAS temporarily suspended the relevant regulations of the IAAF.