South African athlete Caster Semenya will be able to compete at any distance without medication to lower her testosterone levels, a Swiss court ruled on Monday.
The Swiss Federal Supreme Court temporarily suspended a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that prevented the Olympic champion from running in events from 400 meters to the mile.
Read more: Caster Semenya files appeal over testosterone ruling
What the court ruled
- The International Athletics Federation (IAAF) is to “immediately suspend” the implementation of the eligibility regulations against Semenya.
- Semenya will be allowed her to run in her preferred 800-meter event without taking any testosterone-suppressing medication.
- The temporary ruling can be challenged by the IAAF.
Allowed to ‘run free’
“I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision,” Semenya said in a statement released after the decision. “I hope that following my appeal I will once again be able to run free.”
Semenya’s lawyers said there will be another decision by the Swiss court after the IAAF makes its arguments for testosterone limits.
Dorothee Schramm, said that the case has “fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes.”
An unfair advantage?
The IAAF’s testosterone limits apply to female athletes with conditions known as “differences of sex development” (DSD), saying that affected athletes can have an athletic advantage with a similar level of testosterone as men.
Read more: Opinion: The Caster Semenya verdict is ‘wrong and demeaning’
Last week, the 28-year-old Semenya filed an appeal with the Swiss Supreme Court, asking for testosterone limits in female events to be removed completely.
Races ahead: If her temporary appeal is upheld, Semenya would be cleared to defend her title at the world championships in Doha being held in September. Semenya is also scheduled to complete in a 2,000-meter event in Paris on June 11.
