A row between Caster Semenya and athletics’ governing body erupted on Monday as her lawyers claimed confidentiality rules had been breached for her behind-closed-doors fight to compete internationally without medical intervention.
Semenya, who appeared at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) in Switzerland on Monday, says the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) broke rules by releasing a detailed list of five experts due to give evidence at the five-day hearing.
The landmark case surrounding athletes with “differences of sexual development” (DSD) is hearing this week how the IAAF wants athletes like Semenya, who was born with internal testes, to have their testosterone reduced to female levels before they compete internationally in order to ensure fairness with other women.
Relations between Semenya and the governing body are already said to be strained over reports last week that the IAAF will make an argument this week that the athlete can be classified as female despite being a “biological male”.
The two-time Olympic 800-metre champion ignored questions as she arrived at the court on Monday, but instead flashed her fingers in a peace sign and smiled.
On the first day of the hearing, Semenya’s legal team sent out a press release accusing the IAAF of breaching confidentiality regulations by releasing the names of five expert witnesses they will bring to the Cas to testify on their behalf. Read more