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SPORTS Wednesday 19 June 2019

IAAF claims Olympic champion Semenya is ‘biologically male’

By GERALD IMRAY To be allowed to compete
AP Sports Writer under the rules, Semenya
The governing body of and other affected ath-
track argued in court that letes must medically re-
Olympic champion Caster duce their testosterone to
Semenya is “biologically below a specific threshold
male” and that is the rea- set by the IAAF. The IAAF
son she should reduce her gives three options to do
natural testosterone to be that: A daily contraceptive
allowed to compete in pill, a monthly hormone-
female competitions, ac- blocking injection, or sur-
cording to documents re- gery.
leased publicly for the first The medical process has
time on Tuesday and which been criticized as unethi-
provide new insight into a cal by experts and Seme-
bitter legal battle. nya has refused to take
The documents released by medication to alter what
sport’s highest court show she calls her genetic gifts.
that Semenya responded At least two other runners,
by telling the judges that Francine Niyonsaba of Bu-
being described as biologi- rundi and Margaret Wam-
cally male “hurts more than bui of Kenya, who are both
I can put in words.” Olympic medalists, say they
The 28-year-old South Af- In this Friday, May 3, 2019 file photo, South Africa’s Caster Semenya competes in the women’s are also affected by the
rican runner said she was 800-meter final during the Diamond League in Doha, Qatar. rules. They have also railed
unable to express how in- Associated Press against the regulations and
sulted she felt at the IAAF nounced last month. her whole life. But the IAAF run in her natural form. She criticized the IAAF.
“telling me that I am not a Tuesday’s fuller court re- says she is one of a number disputes that she has a sig- Tuesday’s CAS documents
woman.” cords, which were still re- of female runners in elite nificant performance ad- shone a light on some of
The IAAF’s stance on Seme- dacted, show the IAAF athletics who have medi- vantage. the details of the battle be-
nya and other female ath- referred to the two-time cal conditions known as The IAAF won the recent tween Semenya and the
letes affected by its new Olympic and three-time “differences of sex devel- case at CAS by a 2-1 ma- IAAF over the last decade,
testosterone regulations world champion as one of opment” and who were jority of the panel of judg- much of which Semenya
— and Semenya’s out- a number of “biologically born with the typical male es, allowing it to implement hadn’t publicly spoken
rage at the biological male male athletes with female XY chromosome pattern. the testosterone limits. about despite her story
claim — was revealed in gender identities.” That gives them some male But in the latest legal twist, making headline news
a 163-page decision pub- Arguing that Semenya and biological characteristics, Semenya appealed the across the world.
lished by the Switzerland- others like her should be male levels of the hormone CAS verdict to Switzerland’s Semenya said in witness
based Court of Arbitration subject to its hormone limits testosterone after puberty, supreme court on human statements to the CAS
for Sport. It details parts of to ensure fairness in female and an unfair athletic ad- rights grounds. She won an that she had been sub-
the courtroom exchang- competitions, the IAAF stat- vantage over other female interim ruling to temporar- jected to gender verifica-
es that were held behind ed: “There are some con- athletes, the IAAF says. ily suspend the hormone tion tests that included an
closed doors when Seme- texts where biology has to Semenya, who has been regulations and the Swiss intrusive physical examina-
nya challenged the IAAF trump identity.” fighting the IAAF ever since supreme court will hear her tion ordered by South Afri-
over the highly contentious Semenya vs. the IAAF is one she was embroiled in a full appeal. can track authorities in the
hormone rules in a five-day of the most difficult issues gender verification test at The rules only apply to cer- buildup to the 2009 world
hearing in February. CAS sport has faced. the world championships tain races, from 400 meters championships without be-
had previously released Semenya was legally iden- 10 years ago, says the rules to one mile, but they in- ing told or understanding
only short excerpts of the fi- tified as female at birth and should be discarded and clude Semenya’s specialist the nature of the tests. She
nal verdict when it was an- has identified as female she should be allowed to two-lap event. was 18 at the time.q

New Jersey may let Golden Nugget

casino take some NBA bets

By WAYNE PARRY ers legalized sports betting would allow team owners
Associated Press last year, a provision in the to take bets on games in-
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — law banned team owners volving other teams in their
New Jersey lawmakers are from placing or accepting leagues, but not their own.
considering loosening their bets on any games involv- “New Jersey’s sports wa-
sports betting restrictions ing their sport. gering industry is new and
to allow the owner of the It was directly aimed at the fledgling, but if we take the
Golden Nugget casino to Golden Nugget and enact- handcuffs off, it could sur-
accept bets on most Na- ed over protests that Ne- pass Nevada as the larg-
tional Basketball Associa- vada regulators allow Fer- est market in the country
tion teams. titta’s casinos to take bets within a few years,” said As- This Feb. 22, 2019, photo shows the exterior of the Golden Nugget
Texas billionaire Tilman Fer- on pro basketball games as semblyman Raj Mukherji, a casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
titta owns the casino — long as they don’t involve northern New Jersey Demo- Associated Press
and also owns the NBA’s the Rockets. crat who co-sponsored the significant participant in protections are in place.
Houston Rockets. A bill introduced Monday in bill. “I don’t see the point this new industry if sufficient Nevada has long allowed
When New Jersey lawmak- the New Jersey Legislature of leaving out a potential regulation and integrity this same arrangement.”q