PRETORIA – South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andries Nel, has praised a major legal victory for Olympic champion Caster Semenya, after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in her favour on Thursday.
The judgment found that the Swiss Federal Tribunal failed to properly consider Semenya’s appeal against regulations by World Athletics that required her to lower her natural testosterone levels in order to compete in women’s races.
Nel said the ruling was a breakthrough for fairness and dignity in global sport, especially for intersex athletes facing discrimination under existing policies. Semenya, who has faced years of exclusion over her biology, has become a global figure in the fight for LGBTIQ+ rights in athletics.
“The case has sparked an essential global dialogue about bodily integrity, the right to compete, and the dignity of athletes who do not conform to standard gender definitions,” Nel said.
He commended institutions such as the South African Human Rights Commission, the Commission for Gender Equality, and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for backing Semenya’s legal fight.
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