Semenya: “Khelif is a great boxer and people always criticize when someone succeeds”

Two-time Olympic champion South African track and field athlete Caster Semenya said people did not pay attention to the situation with Iman Khelif until the Algerian started winning.

In 2023, the International Boxing Association suspended Khelif during the World Championships in India for failing to meet the eligibility criteria. A gender test showed that the athlete has XY chromosomes. In 2024, the International Olympic Committee allowed her to compete in women’s competitions. Khelif reached the semi-finals of the women’s boxing tournament in the 66 kg weight category and guaranteed at least bronze at the 2024 Olympics.

— What happened at the Olympics now is not what happened to me. Every organization has its own policy — boxing has its own, athletics has its own. Iman is a great boxer, and people always criticize when someone succeeds. When she did not win, everyone was silent. But the IOC policy and constitution should not contradict each other. Sport is for all people, and the constitution says “no” to discrimination. If sport is for everyone, then why does a large governing body allow this to happen? They should stand their ground and lead by example. It is about quality leadership that protects, protects and respects women, — The Telegraph quotes Semenya as saying, citing Sportsboom.com.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) previously ruled that Semenya’s initial appeal against World Athletics’ rules had not been properly considered. The South African had successfully challenged the rules, which required female athletes with high testosterone levels to reduce their levels with medication. In February 2021, Semenya appealed to the Swiss Federal Court after losing her appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Semenya is a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion in the 800m. She last competed in the world championship in 2017, where she won gold and bronze. The athlete was suspended from the 2019 World Championships in Qatar after the Swiss Federal Court overturned its decision to suspend the International Association of Athletics Federations (now World Athletics) rule on allowing athletes with elevated testosterone levels.