South African runner Caster Semenya has been invited to race in the 800m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rabat on Sunday, the meeting’s organiser Alain Blondel says,
Semenya was initially prevented from competing at the event by the Moroccan Athletics Federation despite being cleared to continue running, in an apparent violation of an order by the Swiss Supreme Court.
Semenya was allowed to compete without restriction after the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland rejected an urgent request by the IAAF to re-impose eligibility regulations on the athlete.
However, Semenya had received a notification on June 11 from the President of the Moroccan Athletics Federation, denying her participation – something she sought clarity on from the IAAF.
The Swiss Supreme Court upheld an order issued on May 31, requiring the IAAF to suspend eligibility rules against Semenya, stressing in the ruling that the Athletics body had not brought forward any new arguments to justify a reconsideration of the prior order.
In statement by Semenya’s lawyers, the IAAF and Athletics South Africa have until June 25 to make submissions to the Swiss court regarding the ruling.
The IAAF rules stated that women whose natural testosterone levels exceed 5 nmol/L must lower the levels beneath that threshold and maintain it continuously for at least six months before a competition. The body maintains that increased natural testosterone levels give competitors an unfair advantage.
Semenya intends to run the 800m at the Prefontaine Classic in California on June 30 and defend her title at the World Championships in Qatar which start in September.
