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Caster Semenya appeals to European Court of Human Rights to challenge testosterone ruling

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya is taking her fight to the European Court of Human Rights. Semenya is seeking to appeal a 2020 decision by the Switzerland Supreme Court that ruled women with naturally elevated testosterone levels could not take part in events without medical interventions to lower their testosterone.

Semenya tweeted out a press release announcing the appeal.

The appeal states Semenya is looking to overturn "demeaning and intrusive regulations" implemented against some women athletes.

"Caster's application continues her challenge to the demeaning and intrusive regulations implemented by World Athletics in 2018 which prohibit some women athletes with naturally higher levels of testosterone from participating in international competitions. The regulations require these women to undergo humiliating and invasive physical examinations followed by harmful and experimental medical procedures if they wish to compete internationally in women's events between 400m and one mile, the exact range in which Ms Semenya specializes."

In her tweet, Semenya said her fight is "about taking a stand and fighting for dignity, equality and the human rights of women in sport."

Caster Semenya has been fighting legal battle for years

Semenya has been fighting against the ruling for years. In 2018, World Athletics introduced new rules that would require women with naturally high testosterone levels to take hormone-suppressing medication in order to compete in certain events.

Semenya opposed the ruling, and challenged it in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In 2019, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld World Athletics' ruling. While the Court of Arbitration for Sport said the testosterone regulations were discriminatory, it said they needed to be enforced to uphold the "integrity" of certain events.

Following that loss, Semenya took her appeal to the Switzerland Supreme Court. In September 2020, the Switzerland Supreme Court dismissed Semenya's appeal.

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