The South African’s call for unity stood out amid all the arguments, but it is not only Cas’s verdict that has been criticised
On the opening morning of the sporting trial of the century, Caster Semenya ran unnoticed through Lausanne’s old town to clear her mind. Then, knowing her career was potentially on the line, she stood up at the court of arbitration for sport and made the speech of her life. “When I was 18 years old, I won gold at the 2009 world championships in Berlin,” she said. “It should have been a great moment. But sadly it was tarnished.”
How could it not be when a fellow 800m finalist, the Italian Elisa Cusma, had told reporters: “For me, she’s not a woman, she’s a man.” Or when Semenya then had to take medication to reduce her testosterone in order to compete for years afterwards? No wonder she told Cas that she was relieved when the IAAF’s previous hyperandrogenism rules had been overturned in 2015.
Written by Sean Ingle
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/01/caster-semenya-iaaf-behind-scenes-sporting-trial-of-the-century under the title “Caster Semenya v IAAF: behind the scenes at sporting trial of the century | Sean Ingle”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
