‘This is not the end of her’
BAN UPHELD: CALL TO RALLY BEHIND SEMENYA ‘IN QUEST TO DEFEAT INJUSTICE’
Athletics South Africa ‘shocked’ to lose joint appeal.
Caster Semenya will run again! “She is a fighter and she is determined to get back on the track,” said the athlete’s legal representative, Greg Nott, yesterday, hours after he learnt his client had been barred from running in certain athletics events.
“Caster said to me, ‘the door is closed, but it is not locked’,” said Nott. “This has been a 10-year fight and we find what has happened to her over this time very discriminatory. But Caster’s indomitable spirit will remain. This is not the end of her.”
Nott said he and Semenya would study the findings by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court and then decide on a path to contest the judgment. He added there were a number of options available to them, one being going the legal route and taking the matter to the European Union for Human Rights, the other being to challenge the findings in domestic, local jurisdiction, courts.
Meanwhile Athletics South Africa (ASA) said yesterday they were “shocked” by the news that they had lost their joint appeal with Semenya.
“ASA had been confident of a favourable outcome before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, given the human rights, medico-legal and scientific arguments and evidence that we believe invalidated the regulations,” the federation said.
“It is these facts that have left ASA shocked that the court rejected these compelling factors in favour of World Athletics.”
The national body said they, too, would consider approaching the European Court of Human Rights in another attempt to contest the ruling, which prevented Semenya from competing over distances ranging from 400m to the mile (1 609m) unless she reduced her natural testosterone levels.
“ASA will now be seeking an audience with the minister of sport for guidance about how the government of South Africa thinks we should collectively take the matter forward in our pursuit to remove discrimination in sport and restore full observance of human rights to all participants.” Sport Minister Nathi Mthethwa yesterday called the decision by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court “unfortunate” and “offensive” to the fundamental human rights of female athletes classified as hyperandrogenic.
Mthethwa said the South African government always held a firm view that the regulations “are a gross violation of fundamental human rights of female athletes”.
He said Semenya had his government’s support and backing and he further called on South Africans to rally behind the track star.
“As the government together with ASA, we will study the judgment and consider various options in our collective campaign to fight this injustice,” Mthethwa said.
“We call upon all South Africans, Africans and the entire world to rally behind Caster in our quest to defeat injustice.”
The door is closed, but it is not locked