South African runner Caster Semenya has lost her appeal against track officials who may now proceed with a controversial rule that defines her and other female athletes by their body chemistry.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport decided against Semenya on Wednesday, declaring the international track federation may regulate women with naturally high testosterone levels.
Such women will now face a stark choice: Either take medication to alter their chemistry or race against men.
The Swiss court’s decision represents a major, off-the-track defeat for Semenya, who has two Olympic gold medals in the 800 meters but has long endured scrutiny because of her fast times, broad shoulders and muscular build.
The IAAF’s new rule has nothing to do with cheating or performance-enhancing drugs; instead, it was devised for women with natural “difference of sexual development,” or DSD, meaning they have a circulating level of testosterone that exceeds the normal range for females.
Federation officials claim this condition, which they estimate occurs in seven of every 1,000 women at the elite level, represents an unfair advantage because increased testosterone can equate to greater strength and speed.
Their rule, originally scheduled to take effect last November, will cover events ranging from 400 meters to the mile. CAS arbitrators upheld it after taking an extra month to review additional materials.
This wasn’t the first time the sports world had wrestled with defining what it means to be female.
As far back as the 1930s, some Olympic competitors were asked to disrobe and stand before officials to prove they were women. A chromosome test was later tried and abandoned after it failed to account for certain rare conditions.
The IAAF switched to a testosterone-based test that was initially shot down in 2015, when Indian sprinter Dutee Chand prevailed in her appeal.
This time, experts who testified on Semenya’s behalf at a CAS hearing argued that research has yet to prove the effects of elevated testosterone.
Star athletes from other sports also supported Semenya, with tennis great Billie Jean King calling the policy “barbaric, dangerous and discriminatory.”
But arbitrators ultimately agreed with the IAAF, which stated: “This standard is necessary to ensure fair competition for all women. Indeed, without it, we risk losing the next generation of female athletes, since they will see no path to success in our sport.”