I’m thrilled about Caster Semenya’s freedom to compete without meds – but toxic ideas about sex in sport are still rife

Despite a Swiss court temporarily lifting the IAAF ruling, the case has only exacerbated myths around hyperandrogenism, turning the biology of real people into a matter of debate

As of yesterday Caster Semenya is allowed to continue competing in athletics without being medicated. A Swiss court temporarily suspended the IAAF ruling which demanded Semenya take drugs in order to compete in events from 400m to the mile.

I’m thrilled by this decision. A world where anyone is forced to take unnecessary medicine or lose their job is incredibly disturbing.

In fact, Dr Helen Webberley, a GP, told the i that she would never prescribe the medication Semenya was being asked to take as it has the potential to cause serious, lasting damage to her body.

However, the suspension of the IAAF’s restriction is only temporary, which means the global discussion about Caster Semenya is far from over – and that fills me with dread.

Her case is a landmark in both international sport and the wider conversation about sex and gender. Someone as high profile as Semenya should be challenging our assumptions and shaping the way we think about sport and sex, as we marvel at her talent.

Instead, the way her story has played out over the last decade, on an international scale, has been incredibly reductive and fuelled by misinformation.

Rather than celebrating her success, we have seen people like British runner Lynsey Sharp shedding tears while criticising hyperandrogenic athletes during a live BBC broadcast at the last Olympics.

Last month, after Semenya lost her appeal against the restrictions imposed by the IAAF, her sex continued to be discussed around the world as though we suddenly had a right to know her intimate medical history.

In fact, former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies felt entitled to declare Semenya’s chromosomal make-up in a national broadcast on Jeremy Vine – information which has never been released and is, quite frankly, none of our business.

Davies took to Twitter to declare that sex was simply a matter of XX or XY, while others spewed misguided ideas about an “appropriate” level of testosterone in women’s bodies. Fuel was added to transphobic discussions as people and broadcasters unhelpfully conflated Semenya with trans athletes. When I spoke about my experiences as someone with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which results in hyperandrogenism, one Twitter user declared “sorry, but medically you’re a bloke”.

This is the crux of the issue with the IAAF’s cruel ruling. While Semenya is undoubtedly the victim in this, the way her case has been handled and discussed has affected people well away from the world of professional sport. Unfortunately, this temporary suspension is not enough to undo the unwelcome and misguided speculation on hyperandrogenism which the IAAF has unleashed.

And for people with hyperandrogenism, the reductive conversation around Semenya is all too familiar. This type of gross simplification and lack of clarity is reminiscent of many people’s battles with medical professionals as they try to seek proper treatment or support.

In fact, a spokesperson for PCOS charity Verity UK explained that hyperandrogenism “is often seen by medical professionals as a cosmetic issue – which couldn’t be further from the truth – and people’s very real concerns are dismissed. As a result, people may be less likely to seek treatment in the future.”

This case has only exacerbated the myths around hyperandrogenism. And it has turned a real person’s biology into a matter of debate, obscuring the reality of the condition. Instead of talking about the facts of hyperandrogenism, we have been invited to question and speculate on Semenya’s – and millions of other people’s – gender.

I sincerely hope the restrictions are permanently lifted and we can move on to celebrating Semenya’s brilliance, but for now I fear the conversation will rage on for a long while.