Jamie Nye: ‘Normal’ and ‘fair’ turn into discrimination

The curious case of Caster Semenya has left many baffled.

How can an athlete be penalized for having been born with a body that produces far more testosterone than normal?

That’s what she is facing after arbitrators ruled she is being discriminated against but the rule stands because it’s about ‘fair’ play.

Semenya cannot compete unless she takes drugs to suppress the testosterone to bring her back to the level of more ‘normal’ athletes.

In a world turning the page towards tolerance and acceptance, how can we be so intolerant of something that is beyond someone’s control?

In an era in sports where the desire for clean and natural athletes is to be celebrated, are we asking someone to take a drug to make her more ‘normal’?

I watch sports for the exceptional. We should cheer her victories and accomplishments as we do for other athletes who were biologically built different than the ‘normal’ person and excel in their chosen fields.

Yet she’s outed for being ‘different.’ It’s a shameful day for international athletics.