S. African parliament condemns IAAF's targeted regulations against Semenya

CAPE TOWN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's parliament on Sunday condemned the regulations passed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to stifle Caster Semenya's reign as champion in the middle distance races.

The targeted introduction of the regulations is "unjust, sexist, dehumanizing" and should be condemned by all human rights proponents in the world, said a statement jointly issued by Baleka Mbete, speaker of the National Assembly (Lower House) and Thandi Modise, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (Upper House).

"Physiques of African women have and continue to suffer unjustified and racially humiliating scrutiny and mockery," the statement said.

Earlier this week, the IAAF announced new rules for female athletes with high natural testosterone levels. The rules will prevent South African athlete Semenya from competing.

The IAAF said that from Nov. 1, it will limit entry for all international events from 400 meters to the mile to women with testosterone levels below a specified level.

This will include hurdles races, 800m, 1,500m, one-mile races and combined events over the same distances.

Women with elevated testosterone will be expected to reduce their hormone level for six months (for example by use of hormonal contraceptives) before being eligible to run, and they will have to maintain that lowered level.

Semenya, a two-time Olympic 800-meter champion who competes in the 800m and 1,500m races, was previously cleared to compete in all events.

Prior to the IAAF's announcement, other athletes believed that Semenya had an unfair advantage because of the high levels of her naturally occurring testosterone.

The South African parliament said it strongly believes that the latest IAAF's regulations to prescribe a maximum of five nanomoles of testosterone per litre of blood and a hormonal treatment of women athletes with higher measurements, particularly in categories where Semenya currently reigns as a champion for nearly a decade, "are blatant efforts to eliminate her".

Such an act should be rejected with the contempt it deserves as it threatens, not just Caster's career, but the sacrosanct principles of fairness, justice and equality in global sports, said the parliamentary statement, emailed to Xinhua.

The act also threatens the entire generation of young girls from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds who are inspired by Semenya to break the proverbial glass ceilings in their careers of choice, said the statement.

"The IAAF's conduct is a danger to the future of next generations of particularly African sportswomen, who will he confronted with similar apartheid-type targeted regulations if their talent and hard work becomes a threat to their counterparts from the rest of the world," the statement said.

South Africa's parliament urged sister parliaments under international legislative bodies such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to take a stand and reject the IAAF's blatant old-fashioned prejudice, which has no scientific foundation.

"The international athletics body's actions are an open violation of human rights principles enunciated in the founding documents of the United Nations and, if not rejected, will continue systematically destroying individual athletes with impunity and bringing the entire global sports into disrepute," the statement said.

South African political parties have rallied behind Semenya and blasted the athletics body. Enditem