Caster Semenya ruling: Sharron Davies wants sport divided by chromosomes

Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies has said she wants to see sport divided by chromosomes instead of by gender following the Caster Semenya ruling yesterday.

In a Daily Mail article, Davies claimed there is “a real crisis in women’s sport” and said it “needs to be protected.”

“Caster’s case highlights what happens if athletes born with male characteristics and a Y chromosome compete in female sport.

“If we are not careful then in 10 years all the records in men’s sport will be held by men and all the records in women’s sport will be held by women who carry a Y chromosome. I think we need to look into reclassifying things.”

She continued: “Maybe we have an XX female category and then a category for men and XY. We want sport to be inclusive and perhaps the way to do this is based on biology.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against Semenya yesterday

Davies’ comments come after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against athlete Caster Semenya yesterday, who had challenged new rules that limit testosterone levels female athletes are allowed to have.

Under new regulations, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IIAF) will insist that female athletes with a so-called difference of sexual development (DSD) will have to undergo testosterone restrictions. The UN has condemned the treatment as an “unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedure.”

Semenya, 28, who has naturally high testosterone levels, will now have to undergo hormone therapy for at least six months before competing in any competition.

“Caster Semenya is not male-bodied or transgender; she is a cisgender woman with naturally-occurring testosterone.”

– Athlete Ally

Davies posted various tweets online where she pleaded with her followers to “think of those girls who’ve lost out already.”

“We need to go back to simple biology & chromosomes to divide the sexes for physical competition,” Davies wrote in one tweet.