Sonke welcomes the recent ruling by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights involving Olympic champion Caster Semenya. The ruling found that Semenya was denied a fair hearing by the Swiss Federal Tribunal, where she had appealed a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in favour of World Athletics.
In its ruling, the ECHR judgment said the Swiss Federal Supreme Court failed to provide the athlete the level of judicial scrutiny required when reviewing the 2019 arbitration decision. Semenya had contested the World Athletics Federation regulation, which prevents women with Differences in Sexual Development from competing in female sports. She was expected to undergo medical processes to reduce her testosterone level and faced discrimination for being different.
Sonke believes that sports governing bodies are supposed to be inclusive and provide equal opportunities and safe spaces for women to compete fairly. This court ruling serves as a reminder for all institutions to move beyond mere words and actively practice accountability in upholding human rights.
“We welcome this judgement which sets out an important jurisprudence on how these matters should be dealt with fairly going forward. We commend Semenya for her tenecaious courage and fortitude in staying the course fighting for human rights of all. It is unfortunate that she has been denied in the meantime from exercising her talents for years which has certainly set her back in her illustrious career. But other athletes in similar circumstances will benefit from this decision.” said Bafana Khumalo, Sonke’s Co-Executive Director.
Sonke recommends that the World Athletic Federation and other sports organisations should review their regulations to avoid such cases of human rights violations in the future.
ENDS/
Issued by Sonke Gender Justice.
For media enquiries contact:
Kgomotso Mophulane, Communications & Strategic Information Manager, Sonke Gender Justice on kgomotso@genderjustice.org.za or 0835196187
Bafana Khumalo, Co-Executive Director, Sonke Gender Justice, bafana@genderjustice.org.za or 082 5784479.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Sonke is a South African-based non-profit organisation working throughout Africa. We believe women and men, girls and boys can work together to resist patriarchy, advocate for gender justice, and achieve gender transformation. For media releases, reports and news visit https://genderjustice.org.za/ and https://genderjustice.org.za/newsletter-signup/
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