Caster Semenya calls out IOC chief over Olympic transgender ban - ESPN

CAPE TOWN — Two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya on Sunday expressed her disappointment with International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry over the decision to ban transgender athletes from competing at the Games.

Semenya, who is South African, said she expected more from a woman leader such as Coventry, who is from Zimbabwe and a fellow African.

«Personally, for her as a leader, she's an African, I'm sure she understands how, you know, we as Africans, we are coming from, as a global South, you know, you cannot control genetics,» Semenya said at a news conference after a women's race promoted to celebrate female strength, unity and community support in Cape Town. «For me personally, for her being a woman coming from Africa, knowing how, you know, African women or women in the global South are affected by that.»

Semenya spoke three days after the IOC excluded transgender women athletes from competing in women's events at the Olympics or any IOC event. The decision published in a 10-page policy document Thursday also restricts female athletes such as Semenya with medical conditions known as differences in sex development, or DSD.

«Obviously if you say the science, because we talk about science here, if the science is clear, show us who decided and don't dress that as a lie because it's a lie and we know because we've seen it, so if we were to answer or confront Kirsty, that's how we going to respond, and we'll respond strong as we are because it affects women,» Semenya said.

Semenya, who was assigned female at birth in South Africa and has testosterone levels higher than the typical female range, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters who has been banned from running in her favorite