Semenya hits out at IOC over Olympic controversy

Caster Semenya has slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over its handling of athletes under gender scrutiny at the Paris Olympics. Two boxers – Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting – like Semenya, are classified as having differences in sex development (DSD). World Athletics mandated that DSD athletes should take testosterone-lowering medication to be eligible for competition. IoL reports that it meant that Semenya, who refuses to take the medication, has not competed at the Olympics since 2016 when she claimed her second successive title at the quadrennial showpiece event. The International Boxing Association (IBA) reportedly found that Khelif and Yu-ting have XY chromosomes which means they are DSD athletes. However, the IOC does not recognise the IBA and, as a result, the pair was free to compete in Paris. Semenya has pleaded with the IOC to adopt its policies consistently across all sporting codes. ‘The IOC’s policy and constitution should not contradict each other. Sport is for all people and the constitution says no to discrimination. But the minute they allowed women to be disgraced, it confuses us,’ Semenya said.