The European Court of Human Rights’ Grand Chamber ruled on Thursday that Switzerland violated two-time Olympic 800-metre champion Caster Semenya’s right to a fair hearing when its Federal Supreme Court upheld World Athletics’ rules requiring certain female athletes to lower their natural testosterone levels to compete. By a 15-2 majority, the 17-judge panel found the Swiss court had failed to conduct the “rigorous judicial review” demanded by the seriousness of the case. It ordered the state to reimburse Semenya €80,000 in costs and expenses. The decision confirms an earlier 2023 ECHR finding on procedural grounds but deems Semenya’s complaints of discrimination and privacy violations inadmissible because they fall outside Swiss jurisdiction. The ruling does not overturn World Athletics’ regulations, leaving the eligibility rules in place while paving the way for the case to return to Swiss courts. Semenya, 34, has been barred from international competition since 2019 after refusing hormone treatment. She previously lost challenges at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. Legal analysts say Thursday’s judgment increases pressure on sports bodies to align eligibility rules with human-rights standards, even as World Athletics maintains its regulations are necessary to protect the female category.