Of Athletes, Bodies, and Rules: Making Sense of Caster Semenya

Abstract

This article aims to systematically deconstruct four distinct narratives derived from the case of Caster Semenya v. IAAF (Court of Arbitration for Sport).

What do oral contraceptive pills have to do with human rights abuses in sport?

“…Given the CAS panel's findings that “[t]here is not a single established protocol for how to lower the testosterone levels of DSD athletes to below [a mandated threshold]” 17 (at 486) and that OCPs are “not as efficient in inhibiting testosterone” as other methods, 17 (at 592) it is not far-fetched that other methods might be required. 36 Still, the panel did not engage with the evidence that other methods had, in fact, been recommended and used already. For instance, Semenya's physician testified that World Athletics officials had “made it clear [to her] that their preferred treatment [ sic ] for an elite female athlete … is gonadectomy,” an irreversible surgery to remove the reproductive glands, to which Semenya objected.…”

From Crisis to Advocacy: Tracing the Emergence and Evolution of the LGBTQIA+ Consumer Market

“…For example, although the UK Equality Act states that transgender people can use restrooms that match their selected gender, transgender women often face discrimination in accessing these settings (McGuire, Anderson, and Michaels 2022). In sports (e.g., the Olympics), transgender and nonbinary people are often prevented from participating in disciplines traditionally restricted to specific gender categories (Winkler and Gilleri 2021). LGBTQIA+ families are also subject to prejudice and experience difficulties when dealing with adoption, the physical custody of children, or fertility treatments (Mimoun, Trujillo-Torres, and Sobande 2022).…”