“I’m not going to embarrass myself because I’m different,” South African athlete Caster Semenya told the BBC, who is willing to “fight” to the end for women who are not “taken seriously” by the sports authorities.
Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters (2012 and 2016) and a three-time world champion in the same event, was not allowed to compete because she refused to undergo hormonal treatment to lower her testosterone levels.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled in the first instance that the 32-year-old athlete was the victim of discrimination in the case.
“In the end, I know that I am different. For me, it doesn’t matter what medical terms and what they tell me. Being born with a uterus or internal testicles does not make me less of a woman,” the South African declared.
“These are differences that I was born with and I accept that. I will not be ashamed of being different,” added Semenya, who has a natural excess of male sex hormones and has been competing against the International Athletics Federation for a decade. ). Athletics), whose regulations prohibit her from participating in the 800 meters.
The ECtHR ruled in favor of Semenya in July, but did not invalidate the federation regulations nor rule in favor of allowing the athlete to compete again.
The Swiss authorities, protected by World Athletics, have announced an appeal to the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR, an appeals body whose decisions are final.
This legal battle “is why we are fighting for women’s sport,” Semenya told the BBC.
“The sports authorities do not take seriously the importance of women’s sports and we have to decide about our bodies based on what is good for ourselves. It is not the opposite sex that will decide what we should be,” he criticized.
Source: DN
