Mbete, Modise climb into ring to support Semenya
IAAF regulations can ‘stifle Caster’
Unjust‚ sexist and dehumanising.
That is how parliament’s presiding officers yesterday described regulations passed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that could stifle Caster Semenya’s reign as a world champion athlete in the 800m and 1 500m races.
Top international athletes have rallied to support Semenya.
The new rules compel women athletes with high levels of naturally occurring testosterone to take medication to reduce them‚ the Sunday Times reported.
Parliament’s presiding officers‚ National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise, condemned the regulations as discriminatory in a statement yesterday.
“Speaker Mbete and chairperson Modise have called the targeted introduction of the regulations as unjust‚ sexist‚ dehumanising and should be condemned by all human rights proponents in the world.
“Physiques of African women have and continue to suffer unjustified and racially humiliating scrutiny and mockery. This must stop‚” said the statement.
“Parliament strongly believes that the latest IAAF regulations to prescribe a maximum of five nanomoles of testosterone per litre of blood and a hormonal treatment of women athletes with higher measurements‚ particularly in categories where Caster Semenya currently reigns as a champion for nearly a decade‚ are blatant efforts to eliminate her.”
The presiding officers called on sister parliaments in international legislative bodies‚ such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the InterParliamentary Union‚ to reject the IAAF’s “blatant oldfashioned prejudice”.
The regulations also threaten a generation of young girls who were inspired by the athlete‚ said the statement.