South African runner Caster Semenya filed an appeal Wednesday against the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to uphold testosterone regulations for some female athletes in track and field.
The two-time Olympic 800-meter champion’s lawyers said she lodged an appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s supreme court. CAS, sport’s highest court, is based in Switzerland.
Semenya’s appeal focuses on “fundamental human rights,” the lawyers said.
Under the IAAF’s new rules, upheld by the CAS this month, Semenya is not allowed to run in international races from 400 meters to one mile unless she medically lowers her natural testosterone levels. She said after
the CAS decision that she would not take medication and repeated her defiance in Wednesday’s statement announcing her appeal.
“I am a woman and I am a world-class athlete,” Semenya said. “The IAAF will not drug me or stop me from being who I am.”
Read Also: Semenya loses appeal against IAAF testosterone rules
The 28-year-old Semenya, who is also a three-time world champion, is one of a number of female athletes with medical conditions known as differences of sex development that causes high levels of natural testosterone. The IAAF says that gives them an advantage over other female athletes because of testosterone’s ability to help athletes build muscle and carry more oxygen in their blood.