IAAF failed in case against Caster – ASA
ATHLETICS South Africa has issued a rebuke of the International Association of Athletics Federations and says the body failed to prove its case in the appeal hearing of double Olympic champion Caster Semenya.
Athletics SA also claims the federation has sought to further amend regulations that would limit the testosterone levels of athletes classed as having differences in sexual development (DSDS).
It is that reason that ASA says is the cause for the delay in the announcement of a verdict by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that had been postponed from the original deadline of March 26 to the end of April.
Under new rules, athletes classed as having DSDS would have to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five nanomoles per litre for a continuous period of six months before they can compete. They must then maintain it below that level continuously.
The IAAF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court ruled in favour of Indian sprinter Dutee Chand in a similar appeal in 2015, stating that the IAAF had failed to prove a link between higher levels of testosterone and athletic performance, and that the evidence was needed to reach a verdict.
The federation claims it now has scientific proof of unfair advantage for DSD athletes and that this was presented to the court at Semenya’s five-day hearing in February, but Athletics SA believes it fell short again.
“The IAAF was required to place empirical evidence… to establish that the naturally occurring testosterone levels of athletes targeted by the DSD Regulations confer a significant performance advantage… which would justify limiting their eligibility to compete in the manner that the IAAF seeks to do through the DSD regulations,” the ASA said yesterday.
“The IAAF has again failed to do so in the proceedings before CAS, and has sought rather to contend that female athletes targeted by the DSD regulations are in fact ‘biologically male’.
“The analyses relied on by the IAAF do (sic) not show a meaningful relationship between testosterone and performance.”
The ASA has also claimed the IAAF has sought to amend its regulations, without going into details of what the changes are.
“The delay in handing down the CAS award is entirely due to the IAAF seeking to amend the regulations post the CAS hearing. This necessitated a further exchange of written argument between the parties,” the ASA said. | Reuters