Caster Semenya elated' after European Court of Human Rights ruling

Two-time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya is "elated" to have won her case at the European Court of Human Rights, saying the ruling had been "a long time coming".

The 32-year-old South African – who won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016 – was legally identified as female at birth, but has a condition which means her body naturally produces higher levels of testosterone than women without the condition.

Semenya has been unable to compete at her favoured distance since 2019, following the introduction of limits on testosterone levels for female athletes by World Athletics which would have forced her to use medication.

Earlier legal challenges at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Court had been rejected.

However, on Tuesday, the ECHR found Switzerland had not afforded Semenya "sufficient institutional and procedural safeguards" to allow her to have her complaints examined effectively.

The court said because of the "high stakes" involved for Semenya, it "should have led to a thorough institutional and procedural review".

Semenya had been unable to obtain such a review, therefore the ECHR was "unable to determine whether the DSD (differences in sex development) regulations, as applied in the applicant's case, could be considered a measure that was objective and proportionate to the aim pursued of protecting fair competition for female athletes".

It said her complaints of discrimination as a result of World Athletics’ regulations were "substantiated and credible".

The judgment does not bring into question DSD regulations, nor will it allow Semenya to compete over 800m, but Semenya believes it is a significant step in her continuing legal fight.

"The European Court of Human Rights ruled (on Tuesday morning) that I