‘It Causes Harm’ - Caster Semenya Slams IOC President Over ‘Disrespectful’ Olympics Sex Verification Rule

Two-time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has strongly condemned the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to reintroduce sex verification tests for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, calling the move "a disrespect for women."

The South African athlete, who has been at the center of the debate surrounding hyperandrogenism in sports, also voiced her disappointment in the new IOC president, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, for overseeing the policy change.

"For me, personally, for her being a woman coming from Africa, knowing how African women or women in the global south are affected by that, of course, it causes harm," Semenya stated during a press conference in Cape Town on Sunday.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Google News, Stay informed with Latest Sport News

Last Thursday, the IOC announced it would reinstate genetic testing to determine eligibility for female categories, effectively barring transgender athletes and many intersex athletes from women's competitions starting with the 2028 Olympics.

The IOC's new policy states: "Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games... is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one-time SRY gene screening." This test will be conducted using a saliva sample, cheek swab, or blood sample.

This marks a return to a controversial practice. The IOC previously used chromosomal sex testing from 1968 until the 1996 Atlanta Olympics but abandoned it in 1999 following criticism from the scientific community and its own athletes' commission over its effectiveness.

"It came as a failure. And that’s why it was dropped," Semenya remarked. "For you as a woman, why will you be tested to prove that you fit? It’s like now we need to prove that we are worthy as women to take part in sports. That’s disrespectful for women."

Semenya has become a prominent figure in the fight for the rights of hyperandrogenic athletes, a battle she has waged both on the track and in court since her first 800m world title in 2009.

The new regulations will also affect athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), a condition where a person's genetic, hormonal, or reproductive traits may not align with typical male or female characteristics. Semenya, who has XY chromosomes, is the most well-known athlete with a DSD condition.

The IOC's decision follows a major controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics women's boxing competition involving Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei. Both athletes were barred from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing eligibility tests.

However, the IOC permitted them to compete in Paris, where both won gold medals, arguing they were victims of an "arbitrary decision by the IBA." Lin has since been cleared to compete in women's events by World Boxing.

While some sports federations like swimming and athletics have implemented bans, others had previously allowed transgender women to compete in female categories if they met specific testosterone level requirements. The IOC's new blanket policy appears to override these individual approaches for the Olympic Games.