Caster given some respite

Wesley Bo on

However she may be affected by potential international rule changes, world 800m champion Caster Semenya (above) won’t have to worry about it for another six months after legal processes were delayed yesterday.

In July 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) suspended the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rule which regulated athletes with hyperandrogenism, and the governing body was given two years to prove that performance levels were unfairly elevated by natural testosterone.

The IAAF filed a report last year with draft revised regulations for track athletes competing over distances between 400m and one mile (1.609km).

In response, Indian athlete Dutee Chand argued the governing body had not complied with Cas as it did not submit evidence supporting its current regulations.

Placing the ball back in the IAAF’s court, Cas said it would accept revised regulations but confirmed it had not made a decision on the existing rule.

If the IAAF refused to withdraw its current regulations, proceedings would resume, but if the IAAF introduced its proposed draft regulations, the case would be closed.

While the controversial hyperandrogenism issue centred around Chand, who had urged Cas to assess the IAAF rule, Semenya had also become a key figure in the debate.

Though numerous international athletes were believed to have been born with the same condition, the South African’s worldclass performances had forced her to the fore of the issue.