IAAF case against Caster has ‘racial undertones’

Xasa briefed the media in Pretoria on Friday ahead of next week’s court battle at the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“For us it’s a subtle racial incident that we are observing as part of this. But it is embedded within the whole discrimination that we see, the whole sexism that we see,” she said.

The IAAF, Semenya and Athletics South Africa will face off at CAS on Monday.

The International athletics body is set to argue that athletes, especially women, who have Differences in of Sexual Development (DSD) should have their testosterone reduced to female levels before competing internationally.

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Xasa says the proposed regulations is aimed specifically at the Olympic and world champion.

“Moreover, the new regulations are only applicable to 400m, including 400m hurdle races, 800m and 1500m. The categories wherein coincidentally Caster Semenya participates and generally dominates.

“The logic as to why regulations were restricted to these categories is still unclear, thus compelling us as a country to suspect they are targeted to our own daughter of the soil, who is the reigning world champion in the 400m and 800m track.”

The government has also launched the #NaturallySuperior social media campaign in support of Semenya.

The campaign will target various sectors of the local and international community, as well as human rights organisations, in the fight against the regulations.