SWISS COURT CONFIRMS SEMENYA CAN'T COMPETE WITHOUT HORMONE-SUPPRESSING TREATMENT

Semenya had been prohibited from defending her 800m Olympics title because she refused to adhere to testosterone regulations set by governing body World Athletics.

Caster Semenya competes in the women's 800m during the IAAF Diamond League competition on 3 May 2019 in Doha. Picture: AFP

AFP 

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - The Swiss supreme court on Tuesday confirmed a ruling that South Africa's double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya cannot compete until she accepts to be treated with hormone-suppressing drugs.

"After many months of deliberation, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland has refused to set aside a 2019 ruling against Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)," the court said in a statement.

"The Swiss Supreme Court found that World Athletics’ requirement of subjecting certain female athletes to drug or surgical interventions as a precondition to compete in women’s 400m to 1500m events does not amount to a violation of Swiss public policy," the court added.

In 2019, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council, which met in Doha, approved rules that require the concentration of testosterone in a female transgender athlete to be less than five nanomoles per litre continuously for a period of at least 12 months prior to being declared eligible.

The previous limit was 10 nanomoles.

Athletes must maintain their testosterone levels below the five-nanomole limit to keep their eligibility to compete in the female category.

"Under the new regulations a transgender female athlete is no longer required to be recognised by law in her new gender but should provide a signed declaration that her gender identity is female," an IAAF statement said.