IOC chief sympathizes with Semenya, but respects CAS decision

World
Europe

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said on Saturday that though he felt compassion for Caster Semenya, he respects the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reject Semenya's appeal against new testosterone rules for women track athletes.

"First of all, I must say I have a lot of sympathy for Caster Semenya over this decision," Bach said at the Australian Olympic Committee annual general meeting. "Having said this, the issue as such is extremely complex. It has scientific impact, it has ethical impact, it impacts on 'fair play' in competition so it's extremely delicate and it's extremely difficult to do justice… The IOC respects CAS decisions, as we always do, but from a human point of view, yes, I have sympathy for her."

As one of the world's top middle-distance runners, Semenya from South Africa won two gold medals in the women's 800-meter racing at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics plus three titles of the same event at the 2009, 2011 and 2017 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

In April 2018, the governing body for track and field, the IAAF, introduced rules that limit testosterone levels in female track athletes at 400m, 800m and 1,500m, a move considered by many as targeting Semenya specifically.

Caster Semenya from South Africa competes in the women's 800 meters at the Doha IAAF Diamond League meeting, May 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

In response, the South African launched a legal challenge but saw her appeal rejected by the CAS on Wednesday. Athletics South Africa (ASA) said it was "deeply disappointed and profoundly shocked" at the CAS decision and is considering taking the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

Two days later, Semenya participated in the women's 800m race at the Doha meet of the Diamond League on Friday and dominated it by winning at 1:54.98, refreshing her own event record created two years ago.

"Actions speak louder than words… No man, or any other human, can stop me from running… I'm going to keep on doing what I do best, which is running," she told BBC Sport.

The Doha meet was Semenya's last race before May 8 when the IAAF rules will come into effect.

Meanwhile, the World Medical Association (WMA) on Friday called on its members not to implement the rules because there was "weak evidence" that they were necessary.