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Caster's lawyers reveal 10 experts to argue her case to CAS

Cape Town - A total of 10 experts will plead Caster Semenya's case at the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS) as she appeals an IAAF ruling that would see her forced to lower her natural testosterone levels. 

Semenya's legal team released the names on Tuesday after the IAAF controversially released their list of experts on Monday. 

"Ms Semenya believes that she and other women affected by the regulations should be permitted to compete in the female category without discrimination, and celebrated for their natural talents as are all other athletes with genetic variations," a statement from Semenya's legal team read on Tuesday.

"The IAAF’s regulations do not empower anyone. Rather, they represent yet another flawed and hurtful attempt to police the sex of female athletes.

"Ms Semenya’s courage and perseverance in her fight to run free is an inspiration to young athletes in her home country of South Africa and around the globe.

"A team of leading independent experts covering a diverse range of expertise will provide evidence in support of Ms Semenya’s case."

These are the experts who will provide evidence in support of Semenya:

Professor Veronica Gomez-Lobo - Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University and the Director of the DSD Clinic at the Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC. She is a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist with specialized experience in DSD.

Dr Alun Williams - Director of the Sports Genomics Laboratory at Manchester Metropolitan University. He specializes in genetic differences that impact athletic performance and has published numerous academic papers on the topic, including original research data.

Professor Eric Vilain A geneticist specialized in gender-based and endocrine genetics, including DSD. He has spent almost a decade analyzing whether female athletes with DSD should be subject to regulation, including in consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and as part of working groups including IAAF representatives.

Professor Roger Pielke Jr - The director of the Sports Governance Center at the University of Colorado. He holds degrees in mathematics, public policy and political science. With over 25 years of experience in the field of science and technology policy, with a particular emphasis on sport governance, he is considered a world leading expert in this area.

Professor Dankmar Böhning - Professor and the Chair in Medical Statistics at the University of Southampton. He holds a PhD in mathematics and is an expert in statistics, with a specialty in statistical analysis of medical data. His experience in sport data analysis includes the Growth Hormone 2004 Project.

Professor Richard Holt - Professor of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Southampton and a specialist doctor at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. He has a particular specialty in sports-related endocrinology research, including extensive research in the area of growth hormone.

Professor Anthony C Hackney - Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with joint appointments in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and the Department of Nutrition School of Public Health. He holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology and a DSc in Sports Science Physiology, and has over 30 years of experience conducting scientific research on endocrinology and exercise training.

Dr Lih-Mei Liao - Licensed clinical psychologist and health psychologist in the UK. She has worked extensively with women diagnosed with a range of DSD conditions. Her research has helped highlight the negative impact of controversial medical interventions to alter women’s healthy bodies.

Dr Payoshni Mitra - Scholar and advocate with a decade of experience working closely with athletes with hyperandrogenism and/or DSD from the Global South. Her work focuses on the mental and physical harm caused by the regulation and testing of such athletes. She teaches Sport Sociology at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Ms Ashley LaBrie - Executive Director of AthletesCAN, an independent not-for-profit organization that represents the interests of all national team athletes in Canada. International and Domestic Legal Experts, a number of experts relating to domestic and international laws who provide independent opinions, including on the law of South Africa, India, the United States, England, and the European Union. This includes a representative of Human Rights Watch.

The lawyers for Semenya - Jim Bunting and Carlos Sayao Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Toronto, Canada Greg Nott, Patrick Bracher and Sandra Sithole Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa Johannesburg

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