S.Africa supports Olympic champion Semenya in case against IAAF

South Africa's Sports Minister Tokozile Xasa announced on Friday that a team of local and international experts has been assembled to defend Olympic women's 800m champion Caster Semenya in her case against International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF).

Semenya, along with South Africa's Athletics Association, is challenging the IAAF's new eligibility rules that would oblige "differences of sexual development" (DSD) runners in women's middle-distance races to have significantly reduced levels of testosterone for the previous six months.

South Africa's Caster Semenya holds her national flag as she celebrates winning the Women's 800m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016. [File Photo: AFP/PEDRO UGARTE]

Xasa said,"The high level team has prepared a formidable case based on legal and medical data collected to present the case in support of Semenya."

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CSA) will hear the matter between Semenya and the IAAF on Monday.

The lowering of testosterone levels is set to come into effect in March this year.

Xasa said the new rules are simply targeting and discriminating against Semenya, "the new regulation are only applied to 400m, hurdle races, 800m and 1500m categories Semenya participates and dominates."

The South African government is set to spend 25 million rands (1.76 million U.S. dollars) in Semenya's case.