South Africa's double Olympic champion Caster Semenya on Thursday secured a partial victory in her fight for inclusivity after being barred for failing to reduce her testosterone levels.

The Grand Chamber of the European Court said some of Semenya's rights to a fair hearing were violated at Switzerland's Supreme Court. The former 800 m runner had appealed against a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that demanded female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) to reduce their testosterone levels.

Though the verdict does not set aside the World Athletics rules, it allows Semenya to continue her fight. "It's a battle for human rights now," Semenya recently told reporters.

"It's not about competing. It's about putting athletes' rights first. It's about the protection of athletes."

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The World Athletics demanded that female DSD athletes lower their level of testosterone to below 2.5 nmol/L for at least six months to compete. Semenya challenged the rules but lost at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland in 2019 and again at the Swiss Supreme Court in 2020. Semenya won gold in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and also secured the titles in the World Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2017.

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