• Caster Semenya's appeal at the European Court of Human Rights resulted in a ruling that she did not receive a fair trial.
• The court awarded Semenya €80,000 for expenses related to her legal battle with Swiss authorities.
• World Athletics' restrictions on testosterone levels remain unchanged despite the ruling.
• The case raises significant questions about gender eligibility and athlete rights in sports.
• This ruling may set important precedents for how sports governing bodies approach similar disputes in the future.

Caster Semenya, the double Olympic champion, has achieved a partial victory at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concerning her ongoing legal struggle against World Athletics' sex eligibility regulations. The ECHR's ruling indicates that Semenya's right to a fair trial was violated by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, where she had previously challenged the rules that bar her from competing in her preferred 800m category due to her naturally high testosterone levels. Despite this ruling, the broader issue of her eligibility under World Athletics' regulations remains unchanged, according to BBC, Le Monde, and Africanews.

The ECHR emphasized that the Swiss Supreme Court's review of Semenya's case lacked the necessary rigor in safeguarding her rights, particularly regarding fairness in judicial processes. In its 15-2 vote, the court recognized that Semenya's rights had not been adequately protected during earlier judicial proceedings, which obligated her to navigate the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and subsequently the Swiss Federal Court. The case's return to Swiss courts means the fight over the regulations may continue, as Semenya seeks recognition of her rights to compete without having to lower her natural testosterone levels, as reported by Africanews and Al Jazeera.

Semenya has been sidelined from her athletic events since 2019 after refusing to comply with World Athletics' mandate to artificially lower her testosterone levels. Following her win in the ECHR, she stated, "We need to respect athletes, we need to put their rights first," emphasizing the need for fairness in sports competition. The ruling adds a critical dimension to the ongoing debate regarding the intersection of biology, gender, and athletic competition, and highlights the complex challenges faced by athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), as detailed in Le Monde and Africanews.

World Athletics asserts that athletes like Semenya possess an inherent advantage due to elevated testosterone levels, which it claims gives them an unfair edge in competitions. However, Semenya and her supporters argue that such hormonal characteristics should not dictate an athlete's eligibility, positioning her testosterone as a natural attribute rather than an advantage. The ongoing legal situation highlights profound implications not only for Semenya but also for the broader landscape of sports, as many governing bodies are reviewing their approaches to gender eligibility criteria in light of this case, according to BBC and Al Jazeera.