MZANSI's golden girl Caster Semenya may be forced to take daily pill to cut her testosterone levels.
The controversial rule by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will force her to use medication or she will not be allowed to compete in the 800m and 1 500m events.
Caster Semenya recently won gold in 800m in and 1500m in Commonwealth Games.
The 27-year-old is a double Olympic champion over 800m.
According to the Daily Mail, the IAAF will reveal their highly controversial rule changes for athletes with hyperandrogenism, with the decision expected to force Semenya either to take medication to reduce her naturally occurring testosterone levels or move to longer-distance events.
The new IAAF rules will apply to any distance from 400m to the mile, forcing Semenya to switch to longer distance she refuses to take medication that can be used on a daily basis in tablet form.
The rule is expected to be fully functional by November this year.
The publication further reported that when the IAAF introduced a similar rule in 2011 in response to Semenya’s stunning victory at the 2009 World Championships — a limit for natural testosterone for female athletes was set — it had a significant impact on the South African.
Last month the IAAF council approved a proposal to limit naturally produced testosterone for female competitors in distances from 400m to the mile with a view to implementing the rule by November.
Sports24 further reports that Thursday's announcement will not come as a surprise after the IAAF council last month approved a proposal to limit natural testosterone levels in women athletes in the above-mentioned distances.
It will also sidestep the Court for Arbitration of Sport's (CAS) 2015 decision to suspend regulations on hyperandrogenism in women's athletics.
While that decision was a major win for Semenya, it is not likely to count for anything moving forward given that the CAS is not a regulatory authority for world athletics.
