The Run For Life

By Bronwyn Henkel

In May 2019, the IAAF held a press conference in which they addressed the issue of their self proclaimed “Female Eligibility Regulations”. The press conference was meant to oer clarity to those questioning their previous statement in which they had said that “The Panel found that the DSD Regulations are discriminatory but that, on the basis of the evidence submitted by the parties, such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the legitimate objective of ensuring fair competition in female athletics in certain events and protecting the “protected
class” of female athletes in those event” (site reference - https://www.iaaf.org/news).

This Q&A session left many more confused than before they had begun to try and explain the blatant inability to comprehend the scope of a few athletes’ behaviors.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716700538

Book preview

LIFE

PROLOGUE

In May 2019, the IAAF held a press conference in which they addressed the issue of their self proclaimed Female Eligibility Regulations. The press conference was meant to oer clarity to those questioning their previous statement in which they had said that The Panel found that the DSD Regulations are discriminatory but that, on the basis of the evidence submitted by the parties, such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the legitimate objective of ensuring fair competition in female athletics in certain events and protecting the protected class of female athletes in those event (site reference - https://

www.iaaf.org/news).

This Q&A session left many more confused than before they had begun to try and explain the blatant inability to comprehend the scope of a few athletes’ behaviours.

Perhaps, what caused the most confusion was the fact that women who contained XY genetic abnormalities would still be allowed to compete as long as their testosterone, the predom-inant male hormone, was below a certain value. Women with testosterone above those levels due to a genome phenomenon, according to them, should be forced to control said hormones in order to compete. In other words, they would force an XY female, a woman who possessed all of the external genitalia of a woman to either compete in the male's division or to not compete at all if they refused to control their hormone levels with medication.

The use of these medications, of course also brings to the fore a violation of a fundamental human right. The right to choose 1

BRONWYN HENKEL

THE RUN FOR LIFE

what medication a person takes. And although the IAAF vehemently denies that medications that regulate female hormones, such as the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy, cause harm other than sweating episodes and ushing, millions of experts and billions of dollars of research would beg to disagree. In fact, long term eects of hormone replacement therapy in women are known to cause deep vein thrombosis, cardiovas-cular disease, bone density loss and the increased occurrences of various types of female cancers.

It is important to note that this action and conference was not called due to gender reassignment candidates. Rather, these CASTER

athletes who have no control over their physical and biological processes were put under the spotlight. And although some have said that it was inevitable that attention would be drawn to any athlete, regardless of their sex, who broke world records with THE

ease, the fact remains that minor doping tests are standard practice, whereas divulging a person's personal medical information is not. Many would argue that that in itself was the rst basic human right violated. Regardless of opinions, the fact remains; WOMAN

the world of professional athletes are split between those who believe androgynous people should be able to compete without restrictions and those who seem to perpetually whine about the fairness of their competition.

The controversy, and the prevailing fall out all stemmed from one woman. An exceptional athlete, who stubbornly refuses to THE RUNNER

retire, despite the ban now imposed upon her.

THE

CHAMPION

2

3

BRONWYN HENKEL

THE RUN FOR LIFE

Caster, life could not have been more uneventful.

As she approached school going age, seven is the norm in South Africa, she was sent to Nthema Secondary School, the standard C

rural government school in her area. It is important to note, that hapter 1

unlike elite private educational institutes in South Africa, these types of schools are not equipped to notice, nor nurture naturally Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world talented children. Children are sent to school in a basic uniform,

~Napoleon Bonaparte~

often with no shoes due to them being an unnecessary cost.

Others, who were lucky enough to have shoes for school, knew that these were the only pair of shoes they would own until they Born on the 7th of January 1991, Mokgadi Caster Semenya was grew out of them. Perhaps the only indication of anything re-anything but remarkable to those who had delivered her that day; markable lying dormant inside this little