SETBACK

Caster Semenya Barred From 800-Meter Race at World Championships

After the Swiss Supreme Court ruled that the runner would have to abide by IAAF hormone restrictions.

South African runner Caster Semenya will not be able to compete in her signature 800-meter event at the 2019 World Track and Field Championships after a court failed to block the International Association of Athletics Federations’ hormone restrictions, The New York Times reports. The Swiss Supreme Court ruled that it would temporarily allow the IAAF’s restrictions on women who have “male range” testosterone levels in races between 400 meters and a mile. The Court of Arbitration for Sport, which first heard Semenya’s appeal, is based in Lausanne and is under the Swiss court’s jurisdiction. Earlier this year, the court ruled against the restrictions—but it reversed course in a Tuesday decision. “I am very disappointed to be kept from defending my hard-earned title,” Semenya said in a statement. Her attorney said Semenya planned to continue her appeal of the restrictions despite the court’s ruling. The IAAF did not immediately provide comment.

The ruling comes after the IAAF classified Semenya as “biologically male” in court documents, despite her being identified as a female since birth. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that she had to take medication to reduce her testosterone levels in order to keep competing in May.