Caster Semenya condemns Olympic sex testing as “disrespect for women”

Two‑time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) reinstatement of sex‑verification testing for female athletes, calling the policy “a disrespect for women” and warning of its harmful impact on competitors worldwide.

Speaking at a press conference in Cape Town, the South African runner criticised the IOC’s decision to require a one‑time genetic screening - specifically testing for the SRY gene - to determine eligibility for women’s events from the 2028 Los Angeles Games onwards. Semenya argued that forcing women to “prove they are worthy” to participate in sport is demeaning, saying the policy disproportionately harms women from Africa and the Global South. 

The IOC previously used chromosomal testing between 1968 and 1996, abandoning the practice in 1999 after widespread criticism from the scientific community and athletes’ groups over its accuracy and ethical implications. Semenya noted that the reintroduction of such testing represents a backward step. “It came as a failure, and that’s why it was dropped,” she said, adding: “For you as a woman, why will you be tested to prove that you fit?” 

Under the new rules, transgender women and many intersex athletes - including those with differences in sex development (DSD) who have undergone male puberty - will be barred from competing in women’s categories. Semenya, who has long been at the centre of global debates around sex‑based eligibility in sport due to her naturally high testosterone levels and DSD status, has spent years contesting regulations she argues violate athletes’ human rights. She won a partial victory at the European Court of Human Rights in 2025, which found shortcomings in the legal processes she faced when challenging earlier World Athletics rulings. 

Semenya also directed criticism at IOC President Kirsty Coventry, expressing disappointment that such a policy was introduced under the leadership of a fellow African woman. She warned that the regulations risk further policing the bodies of all women and reinforce discriminatory attitudes fuelled by misconceptions about gender, biology and athletic performance.

The IOC argues the updated policy is intended to promote fairness and protect the integrity of women’s sport, particularly in disciplines requiring significant strength, endurance, or physical power. It maintains that SRY gene screening is a reliable and minimally intrusive method of confirming biological sex. However, Semenya and other critics insist that the scientific justification for these measures remains unproven and that the approach undermines both competitive equity and athletes’ dignity. 

The new eligibility framework is due to take effect ahead of the 2028 Olympics.