South African Caster Semenya, present at the Eugene Worlds in the 5,000m, a distance not affected by the regulations on hyperandrogenic athletes, "has the right to be here", said the president of World athletics Sebastian Coe Tuesday.

“She has a right to be here.

If she decides to compete over a distance over which the restrictions (of the rules) do not apply, that is her choice, and she will be treated the same as any other athlete here,” Coe said during the interview. a press briefing.

🙆🏽‍♀️ Today's info!

The double Olympic champion Caster Semenya (🇿🇦) will be at the start of the worlds over 5000 meters!

“Hyperandrogenic*” athlete – she is banned from running her favorite distances (400/800/1500 meters) by World Athletics ❌ pic.twitter.com/OcgPFqk58s

— run_ix (@RUN_IX) July 11, 2022


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Triple world champion (2009, 2011 and 2017) and double Olympic champion in the 800m (2012 and 2016), Semenya is affected by the regulations on DSD athletes (who have a natural excess of male sex hormones).

Since 2018, these athletes have had to lower their testosterone levels through hormone treatment in order to compete in events ranging from the 400m to the mile, which she refuses.

Semenya, who challenges the rule she considers "discriminatory", but lost her legal action, gave up her favorite distance to start the 5,000 m.

She managed to narrowly qualify for the US Worlds.

"I don't want these athletes to disappear"

Semenya had also felt that her privacy had not been respected during the practice of femininity tests and had complained before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of having been treated like a "laboratory rat" from of 2010, a period when she had accepted a time to undergo hormone treatment.

"I don't want these athletes to disappear," Coe said.

My approach to this issue has always been inclusive.

I am not involved in the world of sport to prevent people from competing.

We've always followed the science, and the science is clear: we know that testosterone is a key driver of performance.

»

Change in the disciplines concerned?

“I'm tired of debating with second-rate sociologists who try to raise issues with me or the scientific community.

There is none, testosterone is the main factor of performance, ”he said, while the studies on which World Athletics relies for its regulations are disputed.

“The categories concerned, from the 400m to the mile, are not set in stone.

If we can prove an impact on other disciplines, we will take it into consideration,” he added.

“All of this is not aimed at any particular person, country or continent,” he continued.

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Hyperandrogenism: Semenya accuses the IAAF of having used her as a “laboratory rat”

  • Sport

  • Athletics

  • Athletics World Championships

  • Athletics World Championships

  • Caster Semenya

  • Sebastian Coe