Athletics: India's Chand cleared to race as CAS suspends 'gender test' regulations

Chand, now 19, missed the Commonwealth and Asian Games due to the ban imposed last year. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Indian sprinter Dutee Chand said on Tuesday she was "super excited" about returning to athletics after a landmark ruling on the validity of so-called gender tests.

Chand's hyperandrogenism - a condition that produces high testosterone levels - meant she fell foul of International Association of Athletics Federations (Iaaf) rules on gender.

But in a ruling on Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended the controversial regulation for two years, allowing her to compete again.

The CAS also said the rule would be scrapped permanently if the Iaaf failed to prove that enhanced testosterone levels led to improved performance in hyperandrogenic athletes.

"I am very happy and relieved," India's reigning Under-18 100 metres champion told AFP by telephone from the southern city of Hyderabad.

"I have gone through a lot of suffering and humiliation. Now I want to forget everything and start afresh."

Chand, now 19, who missed the Commonwealth and Asian Games due to the ban imposed last year, had challenged the rule, which she said did not take into account athletes who were "born this way".

"I never took any drugs, I was born like this. I really want to thank the judges," said Chand, the third of seven children born to weavers in rural India. "It is not only me, many more athletes like me will benefit from this landmark ruling."

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