South Africa News

Caster Semenya case set for ECHR Grand Chamber final ruling

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) agreed to rule on the case of double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya, who has been barred from competing over her refusal to take medication to lower her testosterone levels.

The 32-year-old South African athlete won a long legal battle in July against Switzerland at the Strasbourg-based international court, which ruled she was the victim of discrimination.

But Swiss authorities, supported by World Athletics, had announced their intention to take the matter to the ECHR’s Grand Chamber, whose rulings are binding. The initial ECHR decision rendered was a narrow majority of four judges to three.

On 6 November 2023 the case was referred to the Grand Chamber at the Swiss Government’s request,” the ECHR said in a statement, without specifying when the case would be re-examined.

Semenya, who is classed as having “differences in sexual development (DSD)” but has always been legally identified as female, has refused to take drugs to reduce her testosterone levels since athletics’ governing body introduced the rules in 2018. As a result, she has been barred from competing at her favourite distance of 800m.

In her long-running legal battle, Semenya lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and three years ago Switzerland’s supreme court confirmed the decision of sport’s top court. Semenya then took her case against Switzerland to the ECHR

Source: eNCA

In other news – Enhle Mbali looks stunning at AMAA 2023 in Lagos, Nigeria

Enhle Mbali serves a sizzling look at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2023.

Enhle Mbali

The Awards which took place in Lagos, Nigeria is an annual awards event that celebrates and honors outstanding achievements in the African film industry. It recognizes and rewards excellence in filmmaking across various categories. Read more

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