Banned Due to “Biological Advantages”, Caster Semenya Once Called Out ‘Wide Enough’ Michael Phelps and ‘Tall’ LeBron James for Getting Preferential Treatment

In the world of sport, some athletes have special abilities. Some may call it a god-given gift or a biological advantage, while others call it an unfair advantage in the world of sport. For iconic swimmer Michael Phelps, he had an enormous wingspan compared to other swimmers. Similarly, former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming stood at 7 feet and 6 inches. Compared to Muggsy Bogues, 5 feet and 3 inches, the shortest NBA player, there seems to be a clear case of a size disadvantage. Imagine Bogues driving to the rim awaiting Yao! It is where the argument of Caster Semenya and athletes with ‘Biological Advantage’ comes to the fore.

She is a two-time Olympic and a three-time World Championships gold medalist for her signature 800-meter event. However, the International Association of Athletics Federations banned her for having higher testosterone levels. The sprinter cannot compete in events between 400-meters and a mile without taking medication to cure her condition, known as hyperandrogenism (higher levels of testosterone in women). Semenya, though, brought Phelps and other NBA players to the limelight. 

Michael Phelps’ and LeBron James’ advantage

Despite being told to take medication to cure this phenomenon, she refused to take medicines to treat her body. Some experts believed targeting Caster Semenya for having natural advantages is unfair when compared to swimming legends like Michael Phelps. In fact, Semenya brought Phelps into the picture while expressing her grief on the matter in a past interview.

“Michael Phelps’s arms are wide enough for him to do whatever he wants. Swimmers’ lungs are different to other people’s,” mentioned Semenya. Standing at around 6 feet 4 inches, Phelps had an unusually longer wingspan of 6 feet 7 inches. It can help him generate more pulling power during races, helping him to have a clear advantage over other swimmers.

READ MORE- “Damn Good Swim”: 22-Year-Old Catches Michael Phelps’ Eyes After Becoming Third-Fastest American Swimmer

She continued, “Basketball players like LeBron James are tall. If all the tall players are banned from playing, will basketball be the same? Usain has amazing muscle fibers. Are they going to stop him, too? My organs may be different and I may have a deep voice, but I am a woman.”

Is she competing now?

Lia Thomas’ entry into the debate has clearly cracked corners of ‘unfairness’ in the sporting world. Semenya’s exclusion from events is more nuanced around the sports-legal framework. Whether the decision is fair or unfair is up for debate amongst the masses. But, she recently got listed at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon. After being barred from the 800-meter event, she focused her attention on the 5000-meters where she was listed. 

However, she failed to qualify for the event while not representing South Africa for the Worlds. The long controversy has caused the athletics authorities to rethink their existing DSD (differences in sex development) regulations. It aims to completely exclude women athletes with 46, XY DSD, and high natural testosterone from all female events at major international meets. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe mentioned that there shall be deliberation regarding DSD and transgender regulations at the end of the year.  

It will be interesting to see the DSD regulations set the standard for trans athletes. The issue of ‘Fairness’ vs ‘Inclusion’ shall continue to ravage the sporting world for a reasonable time, and Lia Thomas’ entry has only escalated this discussion further. What are your thoughts on the developments around the ‘Fairness’ vs ‘Inclusion’ debate?  

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