Caster Semenya has reacted on twitter after losing testosterone case appeal against rules set by IAAF to stop female runners with naturally high testosterone levels.
Shortly after the verdict was announced on Wednesday, Semenya took to Twitter, posting an emoji of a man shrugging, along with the words:
“Sometimes it’s better to react with no reaction”.
?♂️ pic.twitter.com/FHmm10npfx
— Caster Semenya (@caster800m) May 1, 2019
Semenya, a double Olympic champion, was fighting measures imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that compel “hyperandrogenic” athletes – or those with “differences of sexual development” (DSD) – to lower their testosterone levels if they wish to compete as women.
A three judge panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had “some serious concerns as to the future practical application of these DSD regulations.”
The IAAF insisted the rules were essential to preserve a level playing field and ensure that all female athletes can see “a path to success”.
Experts also stressed that achieving excellence in sport is a combination of training and commitment as well as genetics and that barring people from competition over a single genetic factor has no scientific basis.
In a rare intrusion into the world of sport, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution last month branding the IAAF rules “unnecessary, humiliating and harmful”.