After seven years of legal wrangling, impassioned debate, and an evolving global conversation about gender and fairness in sport, Olympic champion Caster Semenya has decided to end her high-profile legal battle against sex eligibility rules in track and field. The South African middle-distance runner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters, confirmed through her lawyer that she will not pursue further appeals, even after a favorable ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in July 2025.
“Caster’s legal challenge reached the highest possible court with a highly successful outcome and will not be taken further in the circumstances,” her attorney, Patrick Bracher, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. The decision brings closure to a saga that has not only defined Semenya’s career but also sparked one of the most passionate and complex debates in modern athletics.
Semenya’s journey through the courts began in 2018, following the introduction of World Athletics regulations targeting athletes with differences in sex development (DSD). These rules required female athletes with naturally high testosterone levels—like Semenya—to take hormone-suppressing medication in order to compete in women’s events ranging from 400 meters to one mile. Semenya refused, arguing that the regulations infringed on her rights and forced her to alter her natural biology.
Since 2019, the consequences have been severe. Semenya has been barred from competing in her preferred events at major international meets, including the Olympics and World Championships. At the time of her exclusion, she was the world’s dominant middle-distance runner, boasting an unbeaten streak of more than 30 races. She was, by all accounts, at the peak of her powers—until the rules changed the game entirely.
The legal odyssey took Semenya through three major judicial venues: the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Swiss Federal Tribunal, and finally, the European Court of Human Rights. She lost appeals at CAS and the Swiss Federal Tribunal. But in July 2025, the ECHR ruled that Semenya had not received a full and fair hearing in the Swiss tribunal, noting that some of her complex arguments were not adequately considered. This ruling opened the door for potential new lawsuits or further appeals, but Semenya and her legal team have chosen to bring the contest to a close.
Now 34, Semenya has transitioned to a new chapter in her life, moving into coaching. The regulations, she has emphasized, effectively ended her competitive athletic career. “The rules have taken away what I love most,” she has said in previous interviews, echoing the frustration and pain that has accompanied her protracted fight.
Semenya’s case has always been about more than just one athlete. Identified as female at birth and raised as a girl, she was forced to undergo sex verification tests after winning the world championships as a teenager in 2009. It was later revealed that she was born with a DSD condition—specifically, she has the typical male XY chromosome pattern but also female physical traits and high levels of naturally occurring testosterone. Semenya has stated she was born without a uterus and with internal testicles, a fact that has been at the heart of the controversy.
World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, has maintained that Semenya and a small number of other DSD athletes possess testosterone levels in the male range, which they argue provides an unfair advantage in muscle mass and cardiovascular performance. However, the extent to which DSD athletes benefit from higher testosterone has been fiercely disputed by scientists, athletes, and advocates.
The regulations have grown stricter over time. As of September 1, 2025, new rules require women competing in international track events to undergo genetic testing for the presence of a Y chromosome. Athletes who fail this one-time genetic sex eligibility test are banned from women’s competitions. These changes reflect a broader shift in sports law, as regulators continue to grapple with the complex intersection of biology, gender, and fairness.
Semenya’s legal fight has inspired other athletes to challenge similar rules. Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan, both prominent boxers, have taken their cases to CAS after being subjected to genetic sex testing and subsequent exclusion from women’s events. The impact of Semenya’s struggle is truly global, as sports from swimming to boxing have adopted their own versions of sex eligibility regulations.
The controversy has drawn in voices from the highest levels of sport and governance. In March 2023, World Athletics changed its policy to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have undergone male puberty from women’s competitions. Dr. Stéphane Bermon, head of the World Athletics Health and Science Department, has argued that sex tests are necessary due to an “over-representation” of DSD athletes among female finalists—a claim that continues to provoke heated discussion.
At a recent World Athletics panel in Tokyo, it was revealed that between 50 and 60 athletes with male biological advantages have been finalists in female categories at global and continental championships since 2000. The debate has even reached the International Olympic Committee (IOC), where new president Kirsty Coventry stated, “We have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness,” while also emphasizing the need for a scientific, nuanced approach that involves all international federations.
The United Nations has weighed in as well. In a 2024 report, UN rapporteur Reem Alsalem highlighted that nearly 900 biological females fell short of the podium because they were beaten by trans athletes, with over 600 athletes missing out on medals in more than 400 competitions across 29 sports. The findings underscore the scale and complexity of the issue, which extends far beyond the track.
For Semenya, the battle has always been deeply personal. She has consistently identified as female and has never been transgender, despite her case often being conflated with the broader debate over transgender participation in women’s sports. Her story has humanized the struggle of DSD athletes, putting a face to a set of policies that, for many, remain abstract and controversial.
As the dust settles, Semenya’s legacy is undeniable. Her case has forced sports organizations, courts, and fans to confront uncomfortable questions about the meaning of fairness, the boundaries of gender, and the rights of athletes whose biology defies simple categorization. While Semenya herself has stepped back from the legal front lines, her influence will be felt for years to come.
With the rules continuing to evolve and new challenges on the horizon, the world of sport finds itself at a crossroads. For now, Caster Semenya’s fight is over—but the debate she ignited is far from settled.
