International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach Monday called the controversial gender case of South African runner Caster Semenya “extremely complicated and delicate” and said an expert panel will study its implications.
Two-time Olympic champion Semenya last week lost a courtchallenge against the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF)over plans to force some women to regulate their testosterone levels.
The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport meansfemale athletes with elevated testosterone will have to take suppressivetreatment if they wish to compete as women in certain events.
The IAAF argued that “hyperandrogenic” athletes — or thosewith “differences of sexual development” (DSD) — had an unfair advantage overothers.
Bach told AFP in Brisbane that the IOC would create a groupof “experts from science, from ethics as well as athletes’ representatives andfrom international federations” to examine the ruling.
It will include IOC medical director Richard Budgett and anIAAF official who will “study this extremely complicated and delicate problem”.
“This is a case that should be taken up with theinternational federations, it’s their rules that are involved, their technicalregulations,” he said, adding that he had “no idea” when the group would reachany conclusions.
The World Medical Association has urged doctors not toenforce the controversial new rules for classifying female athletes, warningthat attempts to do so would breach ethics codes.
The DSD rules — first adopted last year but suspendedpending the legal battle — are due to come into effect on May 8. Semenya ismulling an appeal.Bach is in Brisbane to meet Queensland stateofficials who are considering a bid for the city to host the 2032 Olympics,before heading to the nearby Gold Coast for a summit of sports federations.