Of Athletes, Bodies, and Rules: Making Sense of 'Caster Semenya'

This article aims to systematically deconstruct four distinct narratives derived from the case of Caster Semenya v. IAAF (Court of Arbitration for Sport). Caster Semenya, a top-level middle-distance runner and twice Olympic champion, challenged the regulations of World Athletics (former International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF) that imposed her and other athletes with differences of sex development (DSD) to undergo hormone-suppressing treatment to meet pre-established levels of testosterone as a precondition to compete in the female category. The article deconstructs four distinct narratives based on which the adjudicators have justified the exclusionary regime applying to athletes with DSD. Therefore, we questions that: (1) deciding on eligibility is not deciding about sex/gender; (2) testosterone is an accurate predictor of athletic performance; (3) the required testosterone-suppressing treatment is safe and harmless; and (4) excluding Semenya from competition serves to protect women as a whole. We conclude that adjudicators had shown a limited understanding of gender and race and a myopic view of scientific and ethical concerns.