IAAF Testosterone Ruling: Female Runners To Race Against Men

Athletics' governing body is following up the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (Cas) decision on rules over testosterone levels in female athletes. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has ruled that if female runners with naturally high testosterone levels are participating, they will have to race against men or change events, unless they take medication.

After the announcement, Olympic and world 800m champion Caster Semenya has ridiculed the ruling by challenging the "unfair" decision affecting some female athletes, calling it "unlawful"

The IAAF and Athletics South Africa have agreed to honour the decision, BBC reported.

READ: Serena Williams Seeded 25th For Wimbledon 2018

"The meeting was cordial with both organisations agreeing that the Court of Arbitration for Sport was the right body to arbitrate this matter and its final decision will be respected by both organisations," said an International Association of Athletics Federations statement.

The rule is effective from 1st November. It applies to women who race in track events from 400m up to the mile

Semenya, who is a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion, was under the radar and has been asked to have gender testing by athletics chiefs. The results are still unrevealed.

READ:US Open To Consider Serena’s Pregnancy In Seeding Players

"I am Mokgadi Caster Semenya. I am a woman and I am fast."

"It is not fair. I just want to run naturally, the way I was born," said the 27-year-old South African.

Semenya's legal team said, "Ms Semenya, like all athletes, is entitled to compete the way she was born without being obliged to alter her body by any medical means."

Wednesday's statement said IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe had insisted "no individual athlete has been targeted in the creation of the regulations".

Feature Image Credit: Daily Mail

READ: Serena Williams Talks About Sexism

Read More Stories By Ria Das