Caster Semenya: Olympian loses appeal on testosterone levels today

Johannesburg – Two-time 800m Olympic champion, Caster Semenya is one of the fastest women in the world. But she spent 10 years trying to overcome a global controversy that could cut her career short.

Semenya was forced to check his sex and the International Federation of Athletics, the IAAF, says its naturally high testosterone confers it an unfair advantage. A decision made Wednesday by the highest sports body in the world would prohibit him to travel distances of up to one kilometer unless taking potentially dangerous drugs to reduce this testosterone.

"The panel is aware and realizes that the rules are discriminatory, but it considers that this discrimination is acceptable," said Matthieu Reeb, Secretary General of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

But law professor Steve Cornelius said that imposing unnecessary drugs on female athletes was immoral. So immoral, he resigned from his post at the IAAF last year in protest.

"In fact, you take a healthy person and turn him into a patient," he said.

Cornelius says that all elite athletes have, by definition, an edge over the rest of us.

"A high jump is very big, does it have an unfair advantage? Or a disc launcher with exceptionally large hands," Cornelius said.

Semenya's response was brief, indicating that for a decade, the IAAF had been trying to slow it down. But she said the situation made her stronger. Semenya thinks that her rare genetic ability should be celebrated and not penalized.