Odisha Sprinter Dutee Chand gets two-year clearance from CAS

In a landmark ruling by Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest court in sport, ace Odisha Sprinter Dutee Chand has been cleared to participate in national and international meet for a period of two years.

The court said a common factor in distinguishing the sexes — the level of natural testosterone in an athlete’s body is insufficient to bar some women from competing against females.

Suspending the “hyperandrogenism” rules, the CAS also urged the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) to create a procedure where athletes should be allowed to compete in one of the female or male categories and should not be excluded as a “consequence of the natural and unaltered state of their body”.

19 year old Chand had been banned since last July 18 after she was tested positive for hyperandrogenism. She has been the first athlete to challenge the regulations, who missed the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games during her suspension.

While talking to medipersons after the verdict, Chand said, she could now try to get qualified for the Rio Olympics in 2016.