Following the cancellation of Sunday’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon just an hour and a half before the scheduled 6:10am start, due to adverse wind conditions, the organisers have received many enquiries as to the decision-making process that led to the cancellation.

Some 24 000 Marathon entrants and their supporters were denied the opportunity to run the 2025 edition of the now iconic marathon, and Sanlam Cape Town Marathon CEO Clark Gardner says his team is still coming to terms with Sunday’s disappointment.

“After a near-perfect day on Saturday for our Peace Run 10km and 5km events, and our three Cape Town Marathon Trail Races, we were all looking forward to the biggest edition of the marathon to date, with the strongest field ever assembled for a marathon on African soil, and passing stage two of our candidacy assessment to achieving Majors status. Our team had worked for months on this event, planning for all scenarios, but a bigger force had the final say, and we once again apologise to all our Marathon entrants and their supporters, as well as our sponsors and partners, that the race was not able to take place.”

There have been questions asked by both disappointed marathon entrants and the media, given that the weather improved markedly during the course of the morning, leading to speculation that the race could have gone ahead after all.

In the spirit of transparency, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon team would like to share more details of what happened in the early hours of Sunday 19 October, eventually leading to the extremely difficult decision to cancel the race.

What follows is a summary of events taken from notes made by the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Safety Officer, Phil Prinsloo of Eyethu Events.

He was part of the event’s Joint Operations Committee (JOC), which consisted of representatives from the race organisers, the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management and Safety and Security portfolios, as well as medical services and the South African Police Services (SAPS).

00h15 – First reports of high winds at the Race Village (including two start lines and the finish line) in Green Point, as well as at various points on the route.

02h00 – More reports of high winds at Race Village and along the route.

02h15 – Safety Walk inspection of Race Village observes damage at Start in Fritz Sonnenberg Road, with some infrastructure blown over. Damage also observed at Finish, with fencing blown over, and in Hospitality Area, where most gazebos and some furniture were blown away. Wind metre readings taken of gusts up to 48km/h.

02h20 – Race organising team begins removing branding on fencing, repairing infrastructure (where possible) and clearing up race venue, in spite of ongoing strong winds.

02h30 – More damage in race venue observed: Stretch tent torn and blown away, Medical Tent brace dislodged. More gusts of 48km/h measured.

02h30 – Race Village officially shut down by safety officials and enforced by security staff. Event staff and volunteers as well as vendors not able to access, pass through or set up in any part of the Race Village, or gain access to equipment or supplies stored in Race Village and scheduled to be dispatched out onto route.

03h00 – Route Safety Team deployed to various sectors of route, report the following through regular feedback to the JOC:

• Sea Point: Fencing and infrastructure at Start in Beach Road blown over or shifted into the road. Period of high wind conditions from 03h00 to 06h30.

• Woodstock: Very high winds experienced, and by 04h30, all signage blown over, and traffic cones blown out of position.

• Observatory & Rondebosch: Very high winds experienced, with gusts of more than 60km/h observed between 03h30 and 04h30, affecting fencing in this area.

04h15 – Report from Start of further infrastructure movement and unsafe situation.

04h40 – Report from Race Village and Observatory that the wind situation has not changed since 02h00, with continuing gusts up to 46km/h. At this stage, nobody is able to predict if or when the wind will subside.

04h40 – Structural engineer reports that he cannot do final certification that the following structures are safe: Start towers on Fritz Sonnenberg, scaffold bridge on Vlei Road, hospitality marquee and shade stretch tents in Race Village, medical tents on route, pedestrian bridge on Vlei Road, main medical marquee at finish.

04h45 – Decision taken by Safety Committee to cancel the event, and JOC authorised the decision.

05h00 – Communication of cancellation goes out to all runners via direct WhatsApp messaging and on social media, urging them not to travel to the start venues. The cancellation announcement is also shared with local radio stations.

05h10 – Further reports of gusts up to 46km/h measured at Race Village and Observatory.

05h15 - Messaging displayed on all VMS boards leading to the city notifying inbound motorists of cancellation.

06h30 – First press release from the race office about the cancellation sent to all media platforms and partners.

“The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was managed in accordance with the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act (SASREA) of 2010. This Act was promulgated to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of individuals and property at sporting and recreational events in South Africa,” says Prinsloo.

“The Act stipulates that the responsibility for ensuring safety and security lies with the event’s controlling body, organiser or venue owner, through its Event Safety Plan, which must consider all reasonably practicable duties, actions and operational procedures to mitigate the hazards and related risks that might arise.”

As such, the decision to cancel the race required a unanimous decision by all members of the JOC, taking into account all the reports received and the observations, concerns and opinions of a team of highly qualified and experienced people.

Prinsloo adds, “Although the Event Safety Plan endeavoured to balance the likelihood and severity of risks with the amount of energy, effort, time and money required to mitigate these risks, it is important to note that the decision to cancel the race was all about the safety and security of the participants. Neither the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, nor its Abbott World Marathon Majors goals, influenced the decision-making process.”

SAFETY THE FIRST PRIORITY

Even though the cancellation announcement was sent to all runners very soon after the decision to cancel was made, many of the 24 000 entrants were already at the start, or were on their way there.

This saw large numbers of runners converge on the holding areas at the two start venues in Fritz Sonnenberg and Beach Roads.

By the time the sun rose shortly before 6am, the wind in the Green Point area had dropped noticeably, prompting questions whether the decision to cancel was premature.

“The wind did die down in Green Point around sunrise, but that certainly was not the case on the elevated highway section of the route, nor in Woodstock,” says Gardner.

“The roads in Woodstock and on Main Road were still experiencing high winds until 7am, blowing our fencing and water table furniture off the roads. We could not guarantee our crews’ safety in setting up the infrastructure on route at this time, and the vital fencing used to manage contra-flow traffic in some areas was a safety risk. One fence hitting a wheelchair athlete or runner would have potentially caused a serious injury.”

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon General Manager Liz Kruger adds, “The Safety Committee experienced first-hand the safety risks associated with the wind in the Race Village, watching tent poles crashing down around them and fences flying across the road, and later they saw fences flying across the road at the Beach Road Start. This led them to make a joint decision to shut down the Race Village. Colonel Christo Engelbrecht of the South African Police Services told me that we simply cannot send people into those areas.”

Gardner continues that efforts were made to minimise the number of runners arriving at the race venue once it had been shut down.

“We had MyCiti buses loaded with hundreds of participants at the various Park and Ride collection points and the Cape Town Station, but we ordered the buses to hold there, because the race village was declared unsafe, due to fencing and toilets being blown all over the road and start loading zones. Receiving all those runners in the Race Village at 5am would have been a safety risk.”

In response to questions about the event’s start and finish infrastructure, Gardner says that there is no truth to speculation that it was either below required standards, or not properly signed off by the event’s appointed structural engineer.

“Our infrastructure, including start towers, bridges and finish gantry, were signed off to safely handle winds up to 60 kilometres per hour, but the bigger issue was fencing, even those sections with no branding, blowing across our roads and start batch loading areas.”

Here, Kruger adds, “Added to the Race Village, we had quite a few structures on the route, and all structures for the Peace Runs had been declared safe and signed off by our structural engineer before Saturday’s races. So, we had to follow the same process ahead of Sunday’s race, and this time the engineer said he could not deem the structures safe. The safety of our crew and suppliers remained paramount, and repair operations were near impossible with the area in lockdown.”

ALL OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Throughout the morning, as more reports of dangerously high winds and damage to infrastructure flowed into the JOC, the race organising team and safety committee did discuss alternative arrangements that would allow the race to go ahead.

This included delaying the start and altering the route, says Gardner.

“The JOC did consider a delayed start instead of a cancellation, but decided against it because any decision to merely delay would have meant receiving thousands more runners and spectators into the Race Village, which had been deemed unsafe, and we could not keep the participants loaded in stationary buses for too much longer.”

“We had suggested plans to divert all finishers from the Race Village itself by keeping them on Vlei Road to collect drinks and medals, but the bigger issue was the fences being blown across the road and start batch holding areas, posing a danger to runners, spectators and race staff,” he continues.

“Also, starting later would have a number of additional knock-on effects, including many runners then participating during the midday and early afternoon heat, and also shutting down the City for almost the entire day.”

Adding to this, Kruger points out that, “We had planned on two starts, and now one was completely compromised. The risk of overloading the remaining start area with  8 000 more people than planned for, would have increased the risk of overcrowding. Even if we had safely managed a single start, the route was not ready for the runners after the damage caused by the wind and our team not having enough time to rebuild the route infrastructure.”

“Then, to finish 24 000 people on Vlei Road, without the large Race Village for them to disperse into, would once again have caused dangerous congestion,” adds Kruger.

“We wouldn't have been able to get our medical personnel to runners or spectators in need of attention, and our medical facilities had been shut down anyway. Therefore, as much as we tried to find a way to delay the start and come up with another plan, we just couldn’t guarantee the safety of our participants, spectators and crew, and that was something that is always paramount to us.”

CHANGE OF DATE WELCOMED

Earlier this year it was announced that from 2026, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will move to a date in May, and Gardner says the experience of this 2025 cancellation makes his team all the more convinced that they have made the right decision.

“This was our third year in a row of experiencing various degrees of wind on the weekend of our event, and we are now ready to host our event in May, with the hope of less wind. Our marathon has a complex route that requires over 16 kilometres of fencing, as well as many road closures and a lot of signage, so we are vulnerable to winds that exceed 40 kilometres an hour. We prioritise safety above all else, and that’s what led to the cancellation this year, and our decision to move to May.”

Meanwhile, good news that will hopefully offset some of the disappointment felt by 2025 Marathon entrants is that title sponsor Sanlam, while not part of the organisation team or cancellation decision, has announced that it will be offering these athletes a sponsored entry for either May 2026 or 2027.

This offer will be extended to all 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon entrants, regardless of whether the race succeeds in its bid to become Africa’s first Abbott World Marathon Majors event.

The specifics of this offer, and the entry process that 2025 entrants need to follow, will be announced in due course.

Furthermore, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon team will soon be announcing a special campaign, in conjunction with its sponsors and partners, where 2025 Marathon entrants can still earn their 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon medal.

More information will be shared on the event’s social media channels and via direct communication to these entrants once finalised.

Lastly, there is no news yet regarding the effect the cancellation of the 2025 race will have on the candidacy of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon becoming an Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) race.

The event was close to passing the second phase of the candidacy process, and thus being able to announce that the 2026 race is one of the world’s Majors.

“We met with the Major assessors a few hours after the cancellation decision and they complimented our team on the way we handled a really tough situation,” says Gardner.

“I am still hopeful that it’s just a matter of time before we get to announce that we are a Major. In the meantime, we will pick ourselves up from this disappointment, and do our best to ensure that we put on the best race possible next May,” he concludes.

The Cape Town Marathon was cancelled on Sunday after high winds caused safety concerns for runners, a blow to organisers who were hoping the event would become an elite Abbott World Marathon Majors race.

The 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has been cancelled due to high winds and unsafe race conditions.

The safety of runners, volunteers, and spectators is always the top priority.

Sending our support to all runners, volunteers, and the incredible Cape Town team today. pic.twitter.com/fUYqDrGPtR

— Abbott World Marathon Majors (@WMMajors) October 19, 2025

A 10km (six miles) street race and several trail runs linked to the event went ahead on Saturday, but the marathon was cancelled by organisers early on Sunday morning after structures at the start and finish lines were blown over by fierce winds, leaving a record field of 24 000 runners disappointed.

"The Cape Town marathon is devastated at the cancellation of our very special event," race CEO Clark Gardner said in a statement.

"We have worked for months on planning for all scenarios and conditions, but ultimately a bigger force had the final say, and we are so sorry for the situation."

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city was desperately disappointed, but "grateful for the event organisers and authorities for taking a decision with runners’ safety in mind".

"The City of Cape Town is committed to hosting events of the highest global standards, and that includes sometimes managing difficult calls like this one," he said.

This year’s event was due to be the final step towards joining the prestigious World Marathon Majors alongside iconic races in London, New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Sydney and Tokyo.

In 2024, the race cleared Stage 1 of a multi-year assessment, which evaluates everything from race-day operations and the experience for participants to the calibre of the elite field of runners, who earn points based on their performances and compete for overall series titles.

The 2025 race was the final stage of the assessment. Joining the series is projected by authorities to bring more than 20 000 international visitors each year, providing a significant boost to the local economy.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the independent body responsible for combating doping in track and field, stated on Thursday that it was "gratifying" that athletes appreciated its work.

AIU chair David Howman's reaction follows praise showered on the AIU by French athlete Jimmy Gressier after he stunned his African rivals to take the 10 000 metres title at the world championships on Sunday.

Gressier produced a stunning sprint finish to pip Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia to the line in Tokyo, with another European, Andreas Almgren of Sweden, taking the bronze medal.

The Frenchman was the first European winner over the distance since Somalia-born Briton Mo Farah in 2017 – Farah also won in 2013 and 2015.

"Today, I beat East Africa. Let's not kid ourselves, you know I'm not picky, the AIU is doing a huge job and it helps to level the playing field a bit more," Gressier said after the race.

The AIU has suspended and handed bans to a number of Kenyan runners in the last two years and this month the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) charged the east African running powerhouse with non-compliance, meaning their anti-doping practices are inefficient.

There is no suggestion that Kejelcha has ever been involved in doping.

"As to the comments from the French athlete, that's really gratifying to hear that athletes are appreciating what we're doing," said AIU chair Howman when asked about Gressier.

"We of course have meetings regularly with the World Athletics Athletes Commission. I talked this morning to (head) Valerie Adams. They’re very, very happy with the way it’s going.

"They do want more aggressive sanctioning and they do want more aggressive approaches from all sports in relation to those who are intentionally cheating.

"They feel that it could be a six-year ban for that and they feel that there could be extra sanctions in relation to whereabouts fails and so on," said Howman, who for 13 years until June 2016 was director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, added: "In terms of Jimmy Gressier, we're pleased athletes are feeling there's more of a level playing field.

"It's fundamentally what we’re trying to achieve at its heart," he said. "So for athletes to recognise that, it's fantastic."

Former Colombian sprinter Ximena Restrepo has told AFP in an interview that she intends to stand to succeed Sebastian Coe and become the first woman to lead World Athletics.

Restropo, already the first vice-president of track and field's global body, could have had her chance this year if Coe had succeeded in his bid to become International Olympic Committee president.

But with former swimmer Kirsty Coventry winning that contest, Coe is free to serve out his third and final term at the head of the Olympics' No 1 sport.

Restrepo, 56, said on the sidelines of the world athletics championships in Tokyo that she would be a candidate to succeed the Briton when the time comes.

"I'm going to run for president. It won't be easy. I already know there are two other candidates who are going to run and who are very good, but it would be something I'd like to do," she said.

"It gives me a lot of motivation, it motivates me to do it. We have to start working toward that."

In the battle to entice new followers to athletics, Coe and Restrepo are pinning their hopes on a new event next year in Budapest, the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

The aim is to create an international competition in a year without a global championships.

Extra pressure has been added to the event by the financial problems that have rocked Michael Johnson's upstart Grand Slam Track circuit this year, with reports suggesting it owes millions of dollars in prize money to athletes.

"I think it's going to be very important. Next year we didn't have any major events, and having the Ultimate Championship is a great way to close out the season, for both athletes and fans," Restrepo said.

The Colombian, who won a bronze medal on the track in the 400 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, said fans will have "the best in the world in three days" and predicted it will "attract new fans to our sport".

"There won't be a limit on the number of representatives per country, as there is at the world championships, for example," she added.

"The athletes won't have to go through as many rounds, there will be less wear and tear, and the prize money will be bigger than at the world championships."

South Africa has continued its dominance of the continent, after retaining the crown and emerging as African champions at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under-18, Under-20 Championships in Abeokuta, Nigeria which ended on Sunday.

The Team SA is travelling back home in two groups, a day apart. The first group which left Lagos on Monday for Kigali in Rwanda, landed on Tuesday at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

The second group has just taken off from Nigeria this afternoon enroute for Kigali and will land in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

While South Africa has topped Africa, together with the rest of the continent we await the final medals count and results from the hosts and organisers. Timetronics, who were capturing the results, reportedly suffered more than one crash of their electronic system, which triggered a chain of chaos throughout the championship. As a consequence, the results from CAA under the LOC, have not been consistent.

The final statistics of the championships, therefore, will be first declared by the CAA to make them official, before they are publicly announced.

"Welcome back to our heroes and heirones. This has been one team, with one dream and one incredible solid victory!," was the reaction of a satisfied James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa.

"Teamwork makes the dream work and today we are living proof. Our ongoing dominance of this championship tells the story of the rooted character our South African athletes.

"We want to salute our athletes, coaches, team management and parents for the collective resilience to keep focus on the sole goal of winning the African crown. This was the true South African spirit which we believe will continue to inspire each athlete as they grow and pursue their respective future careers."

A top European court ruled Thursday that the Swiss judiciary did not give double Olympic champion Caster Semenya a fair trial when she contested a rule forcing her to lower her testosterone levels to be able to compete as a woman.

However, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said it could not determine whether or not the South African runner had suffered discrimination.

The verdict came after a row over the gender of an Algerian boxing champion engulfed the 2024 Paris Olympics, and as the International Olympic Committee mulls reintroducing contested gender testing.

Semenya, 34, is classed as having "differences in sexual development", but has always been legally identified as female.

She has been unable to compete in her favoured 800m since 2018, after she refused to take drugs to reduce testosterone levels under rules from World Athletics, the track and field governing body.

Semenya told journalists the ECHR decision was a "positive outcome".

"We need to respect athletes, we need to put their rights first," said the athlete, who was Olympic 800m champion in 2012 and 2016 and world champion in 2009, 2011 and 2017.

It was a reminder to leaders that "priorities lie in the protection of athletes," she added.

Semenya has pursued a legal marathon to contest the World Athletics rule.

The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against her in 2019 and the decision was validated by the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne in 2020.

It judged that a testosterone level comparable to that of men gave female athletes "an insurmountable advantage".

The ECHR said the Swiss court did not give the case a "rigorous judicial review that was commensurate with the seriousness of the personal rights at issue", and had therefore breached Semenya's right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights.

It ordered Switzerland to pay her €80 000 for expenses.

South Africa's sport minister Gayton McKenzie said "Semenya has become the face of defiance against injustice in global sport, and this victory in court is a victory for every African child."

He vowed to continue supporting Semenya in the "fight for your bodily rights".

NOT FAR ENOUGH

An ECHR lower chamber in 2023 ruled that Semenya was the victim of discrimination by the Court of Arbitration for Sport – though it did not tackle the World Athletics rule, nor allow Semenya to return to competition without taking medication.

Swiss authorities, supported by World Athletics, appealed to the European court's 17-member Grand Chamber, leading to Thursday's final ruling.

The Grand Chamber, however, said it could not rule on any discrimination as the alleged offence did not fall under Switzerland's jurisdiction.

Seema Patel, a sports law expert, said "the Grand Chamber didn't go far enough to recognise all violations in this case".

"But there is at least an alert to sport that convention rights must be respected," she said.

Antoine Duval, another legal scholar, said the ECHR had implied the World Athletics rule was disproportionate.

Its judgement "encourages intersex athletes affected by these rules to go before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and relaunch the debate," he said.

There are many types of "differences in sexual development", a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs.

Formerly known as intersexuality, they occur in approximately one in 1 000 to 4 500 births.

Semenya was born with the "46 XY" chromosome, rather than the XX chromosome most women have.

Before the 2009 world championships, where Semenya won the 800m aged 18, she was forced to undergo gender testing. She was then put on medication to reduce testosterone levels.

Semenya said she felt like a "human guinea pig" and vowed to reject future treatment.

Testosterone is produced by men and women but men produce 20 times more of the sex hormone.

But how much the hormone boosts performance remains a matter of debate.

'DEGRADING'

The International Olympic Committee is weighing reintroducing gender testing.

World Athletics and World Boxing have already adopted chromosomal testing – generally a cheek swab to check for the Y chromosome.

World Aquatics in 2023 adopted a policy that foresees such testing.

Supporters say screening simplifies access to women's competition, and UN rapporteur Reem Alsalem has said such tests are "reliable and non-invasive".

But Madeleine Pape, a sociologist of gender in sport, says there is a lack of research proving DSD athletes gain a "disproportionate advantage" over XX competitors.

Human Rights Watch has called the World Athletics rule "degrading and invasive".

The gender debate reignited in June around Paris Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif.

US President Donald Trump and Harry Potter author JK Rowling were among figures who stoked a row over the Algerian's gender.

When 19-year-old unknown South African Caster Semenya pulled off a stunning 800 metres final triumph at the 2009 world championships in Berlin, she could never have imagined the drama that would follow.

She had barely touched the tape to claim gold when controversy erupted over whether she should have been allowed to compete. Some rivals questioned whether she was a woman.

Officials reacted by forcing Semenya to have a sex test, and it was not until the following year that the woman born in a northern village could run again.

Recalling the sex test to a London audience, Semenya said "being told you are not woman enough can be disturbing".

Now 34, Semenya was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) and some opponents believed her biological make-up gave her an unfair advantage.

Later, when Semenya refused to take drugs to suppress testosterone, a hormone that increases muscle mass, strength and endurance-enhancing haemoglobin, she was banned by World Athletics.

She collected 800 metre gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games in London and Rio de Janeiro – the first after Russian winner Mariya Savinova was belatedly disqualified over doping.

Semenya also struck gold over her favourite distance at world championships in Berlin, South Korean city Daegu and London.

But instead of basking in the glory of becoming a middle-distance track queen, she became embroiled in a string of legal battles just to compete.

Previously, when Semenya took testosterone-reducing medication, the athlete told South African media she suffered "hell".

"When you are desperate (to run), you will do anything to get what you want. The medication was not designed for my body because I am different.

"I am a woman who is different, I do not have a uterus, I do not have fallopian tubes. I was never happy (taking the medication), it irritated me, I was not myself."

As the years passed, relentless Semenya exchanged her 'golden girl' status among South Africans and became a rebel with a cause.

Her frustration heightened when an initial World Athletics ban covering middle-distance races extended to all track events.

'GROSS VIOLATION'

She labelled the move a "gross violation of human rights. What is at stake here is far more than the right to participate in a sport.

"Women's bodies, their wellbeing, their ability to earn a livelihood, their very identity, their sense of safety and belonging in the world are being questioned."

But while Semenya railed against World Athletics, the organisation refused to budge, and Semenya missed the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"DSD regulations are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of protecting fair competition in the female category," said the international body.

Taking the legal route to try and overturn the ban, Semenya lost cases at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT).

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) took a different view, though, by a 4-3 majority. They said the Semenya appeal had not been properly heard.

"The applicant had not been afforded sufficient institutional and procedural safeguards in Switzerland to allow her to have her complaints examined effectively," the ECHR said.

SFT, supported by World Athletics, appealed the decision, leading to a two-year wait before the 17-judge ECHR Grand Chamber gave its ruling and found again in her favour.

"We need to respect athletes, we need to put their rights first... It's just a reminder to the leaders to say priorities lie in the protection of athletes," she said after the appeal ruling.

While several South African athletes approached by AFP over the issue did not wish to comment, the government and the public have backed Semenya in her crusade against "injustice".

"Our entire history of South Africa has been a struggle for human rights. These (World Athletics) rules have had a negative effect on our golden girl," said then sports minister Tokozile Xasa.

As Semenya suffered setbacks, she could rely on the support of her parents, three sisters and one brother. "The relationship I have with my family is special," she said.

A top European court will decide on Thursday whether double Olympic champion Caster Semenya can be required to lower her testosterone levels to compete as a woman, in a key decision on contested gender testing.

The European Court of Human Rights' decision comes after a row engulfed the 2024 Paris Olympics over the gender of an Algerian boxing champion.

South African runner Semenya, 34, was the Olympic 800m champion in 2012 and 2016 and world gold medallist in 2009, 2011, and 2017.

She is classed as having "differences in sexual development", but has always been legally identified as female.

Semenya has refused to take drugs to reduce testosterone levels since World Athletics, track and field's governing body, introduced new rules on women competitors in 2018.

So, she has since been barred from competing in her favoured 800m.

Semenya has said she hopes the ECHR will protect athletes' human rights and "inspire all young women to be and accept themselves in all their diversity".

Antoine Duval, a sports law expert at the Asser Institute in The Hague said the case would "determine what comes next in terms of challenging the rules for access to women's competitions".

Semenya has already tried other tribunals to try to change the rules.

The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against her in 2019 and the decision was validated by the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne in 2020. It judged that a testosterone level comparable to that of men gave female athletes "an insurmountable advantage".

'HUMAN GUINEA PIG'

The ECHR in 2023 ruled that Semenya was the victim of discrimination by the CAS.

Swiss authorities, supported by World Athletics, appealed to the European court's 17-member Grand Chamber.

The ECHR decision was however largely symbolic as it did not call into question the World Athletics ruling nor allow Semenya to return to competition without taking medication.

There are many types of "differences in sexual development", a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs.

Formerly known as intersexuality, they occur in approximately one in 1 000 to 4 500 births.

Before the 2009 world championships, where Semenya won the 800m gold aged just 18, she was forced to undergo gender testing.

She was subsequently put on medication to reduce testosterone levels, spending several months sidelined by World Athletics.

Semenya, born with the "46 XY" chromosome rather than the XX chromosome most females have, said she felt she was being treated like a "human guinea pig" and vowed to never again allow it.

Testosterone is produced by men and women, but men produce 20 times more of the sex hormone.

How much the hormone boosts performance remains a matter of debate.

'DEGRADING'

The International Olympic Committee is weighing reintroducing gender testing, while several sports have already embraced the practice.

World Athletics and World Boxing have adopted chromosomal testing – generally a cheek swab to check for the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome.

World Aquatics in 2023 adopted a policy that foresees such testing.

Supporters say such screening simplifies access to women's competition, and UN rapporteur Reem Alsalem has said such tests are "reliable and non-invasive".

But Madeleine Pape, a sociologist of gender in sport, says there is a lack of research proving that transgender athletes or those with one of the many forms of DSD gain a "disproportionate advantage" over XX competitors.

Human Rights Watch has argued that World Athletics regulations "are degrading and invasive of privacy, on grounds that are scientifically contested".

The gender debate reignited in June around Paris Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif.

Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Harry Potter author JK Rowling were among those who stoked a row over the Algerian's gender.

World Athletics announced on Friday that it had cancelled the 2025 Road Running Championships, a month after it was moved from the initial host city of San Diego.

Track and field's governing body said it had "held discussions with a number of alternative hosts, some with great potential" for the championships that had been scheduled for September 26-28.

"While some of these discussions will continue for other editions of the event, the World Athletics Council has decided not to award the Championships to an alternative host this year due to lack of essential planning and preparation time required to cater for both elite and mass participation race elements," it said.

The next World Road Running Championships will now be held in Copenhagen on September 19-20, 2026.

Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania obliterated his own world discus record with a throw of 75.56 metres on Sunday at the same venue where he set the previous mark a year ago.

The Olympic silver medallist became the first man ever to launch a discus further than 75m with his effort in the fourth round at the Oklahoma Throws Series competition in Ramona.

That heave improved his mark from 12 months ago by more than a metre.

🚨BREAKING-WORLD RECORD🚨

Watch Mykolas Alekna throw 75.56m. The first man over 75m🤯

📹 @Kirstylawdiscus pic.twitter.com/56A3Yq3vvD

— Beau Throws (@beau_throws) April 13, 2025

In fact, he first broke the previous record by half a metre with his opening throw of 74.89m.

The record had come under threat earlier this week when Australia's Matthew Denny recorded the second-furthest throw in discus history with an Oceania record of 74.25m in Ramona on Thursday.

Denny, the Olympic bronze medallist, had to bow to Alekna on Sunday with a best attempt of 74.78m which surpassed the Lithuanian's previous world record but left him runner-up.

Double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen described a childhood marked by fear and manipulation when he took the witness stand on Tuesday to testify against his father and former coach.

Gjert Ingebrigtsen has pleaded not guilty to charges of physically abusing two of his children, including the track athlete. The 59-year-old faces up to six years in prison, with the trial due to run until May 16 in Sandnes, Norway.

"My upbringing was closely tied to fear. I’ve been aware of a fear-based culture for a long time. As a teenager, it was a concept I really identified with, because I felt I had no free will or say in anything," said Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won 5 000 metres gold at the Paris Games and the 1 500 metres in Tokyo.

"I was in an environment where everything was controlled and decided for me. There was an enormous amount of manipulation," he was quoted as telling the court by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.

During the first day of the trial on Monday, Gjert Ingebrigtsen told the court he was innocent of the charges against him, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

He is due to testify next week, NTB said.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 24, told the court about several incidents of violence.

Prosecutors allege Gjert Ingebrigtsen struck Jakob Ingebrigtsen several times after he received a negative report about his behaviour from school when he was aged eight.

"I remember being extremely scared. Now I’ve done something seriously wrong. I’m terrified of what’s going to happen,” Jakob Ingebrigtsen told the court about the lead-up to the incident.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen also told the court that when at age 16 he met Elisabeth Asserson, who is now his wife, his father tried to put a stop to the relationship, fearing having any relationship would harm his son's sporting career.

"I found it extremely difficult that someone like my own father could speak that way about Elisabeth, someone I cared about," he told the court.

World Athletics said on Tuesday it had approved the introduction of a cheek swab test to determine if an athlete is biologically female.

Sebastian Coe, the head of the international track and field federation, said the decision taken by the body's decision-making council was a "really important" way of protecting the female category.

"It's important to do it because it maintains everything that we've been talking about, and particularly recently, about not just talking about the integrity of female women's sport, but actually guaranteeing it," Coe said in a press conference after the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.

"We feel this is a really important way of providing confidence and maintaining that absolute focus on the integrity of competition."

World Athletics announce they will start verifying sex via cheek swabs pic.twitter.com/vA2wEhfU6G

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 25, 2025

Coe said the decision was taken after a wide consultation on the proposal.

"Overwhelmingly, the view has come back that this is absolutely the way to go," although he added that the swab test was not considered to be overly intrusive.

He said he was confident that the policy could stand up to legal challenge, but added: "You accept the fact that that is the world we live in.

"I would never have set off down this path to protect the female category in sport if I'd been anything other than prepared to take the challenge head on.

"We've been to the Court of Arbitration on our DSD (difference of sex development) regulations.

"They have been upheld, and they have again been upheld after appeal. So we will doggedly protect the female category, and we'll do whatever is necessary to do it."

Coe announced the policy a week after finishing third in the race to be the new president of the International Olympic Committee, won by Kirsty Coventry, the former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe.

Tuks coach Jaun Strydom, who died suddenly last week, will leave a massive void in South African athletics.

"It is a great sadness for our sport. We were all shocked to hear Jaun had died. It happened way too soon. Athletics still needed him," said Nico van Heerden, a long-time friend and fellow coach at Tuks.

Athletes and coaches paid their last respects to Strydom during a memorial service in Pretoria today.

According to Hugo Badenhorst, Strydom was the best 100-metre and 110-metre hurdles coach in South Africa.

"He was an exceptionally well-read and knowledgeable coach, who made hurdles coaching and speed development his speciality. Jaun had a unique ability to convey information to his athletes and those who attended our coaching courses. He rarely failed to improve athletes' technique," said Badenhorst

Marione Fourie's performances in the 100m hurdles over the past three years are a testament to that. The 12.69 seconds with which she won the short hurdles in Johannesburg on Wednesday is currently the fastest in the world.

Over the past three years, Fourie has been ranked as one of the 20 fastest female athletes in the 100m hurdles in the world. Last year, she broke the South African record to 12.49 seconds. Earlier this year, she broke the South African indoor record to 7.91 seconds.

Fourie was due to compete in the World Indoor Championships in China this weekend but withdrew because she wanted to pay her final respects to her coach at his funeral today (21 March). According to Fourie, Strydom was like a father to her.

Badenhorst describes Strydom as a man with an interestingly complex personality.

"Juan was an outspoken person who shot from the hip and was never afraid to speak his mind. His opinions were always well thought out and well-founded. He would express them without any fear or reservation to whoever he was talking to, regardless of that person's status or stature.

"He was not the kind of person who would criticise or discuss you behind your back. He would look you in the eye and say what he wanted without fear or reservation. This made him a valued and generally respected person," said Badenhorst.

According to Van Heerden, Strydom went out of his way to make things happen for his athletes.

Italy's Andy Diaz Hernandez claimed the opening gold of the world indoor athletics championships in Nanjing on Friday, bounding out to a dominant 17.80 metres in the men's triple jump.

The Cuban-born athlete, who won Olympic bronze at last year's Paris Games, laid it all on the line in his very first jump in Nanjing's Cube, the new world lead moving him to 23rd on the all-time list.

In the absence of Olympic gold and silver medallists Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun of Spain and Portugal's Pedro Pichardo, Diaz Hernandez had come to China in good form.

He hopped, skipped and jumped his way to 17.71m to win European indoor gold in Apeldoorn earlier this month.

China's Zhu Yaming delighted the home crowd by claiming silver with a best of 17.33m, with Brazil's Almir dos Santos taking bronze (17.22m).

Defending champion Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso, who is also the world outdoor champion, could only finish fourth with 17.15m.

Three-time Olympic medallist Will Claye of the US misfired, along with Cuba's 2022 world indoor champion Lazaro Martinez, both missing the final shoot-out in the sandpit.

Christopher Bailey led the way in qualifiers for the men's 400m with a lead time of 45.70sec, along with US teammates Jacory Patterson and Brian Faust.

Brazilian Matheus Lima and Canada's Christopher Morales-Williams also sailed through to the semifinals in Friday's evening session, with the final scheduled for 1255 GMT on Saturday.

American hope Josh Hoey, the second fastest runner ever over 800m indoors, safely negotiated his heat to qualify for Saturday's semifinal.

"It was a very smooth race. I executed as what I've planned, just to run as smooth and easy as possible, no specific time target," said Hoey, whose world-leading 1:43.24 in New York last month placed him just half a second off Wilson Kipketer's world record set in Paris back in 1997.

"I've been training with a new coach, which has been very beneficial to me. We've done more speed endurance, 800 specific-type work, that has helped me with my results," said Hoey.

Finals to come later Friday include the men's high jump and the women's shot put, while the women's pentathlon also comes to a climax.

The biggest name in the field and one of the favourites, Sebastian Coe headed into the IOC presidential race exuding confidence, yet the Briton suffered a heavy defeat as Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry took the prize in the first round of voting on Thursday.

Coe, who presided over the London 2012 Olympics organising committee, received eight of the 97 votes of the International Olympic Committee members while Coventry snatched a staggering 49 and Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr collected 28.

It was a sobering experience for the World Athletics chief, but Coe was gracious in defeat, congratulating a fellow athlete for winning the election.

"I'm absolutely delighted for Kirsty. And we've got an athlete at the head of the organisation. That's a good thing. We chatted actually about that only a couple of weeks ago and agreed that that would be the preferred outcome," the twice Olympic 1 500m champion told reporters.

"And that's what's happened. So I've congratulated her. She's got a huge job, but she will have the confidence of the athletes, and that's very important."

The 68-year-old would not be drawn into interpreting the vote, which saw him finish a distant third.

"It's very difficult to make any interpretation at the moment. I think what is pretty clear is that the athletes and the women members in particular supported her very strongly in the first round, and you know those things happen in elections," he said.

"Elections are not an exact science, believe me. So, you know, it's what it is. You know, I'm not going to sit there trying to dissect stuff on the back of a napkin."

Coe pledged to support Coventry, hailing a "historic" moment as the Zimbabwean became the first woman to be elected IOC president.

"I'm a member of the International Olympic Committee. She's the newly elected president. She deserves our support and she'll get it," he said.

Japan's Koki Ikeda, who won silver in the men's 20km walk at the Tokyo Olympics, has been banned for four years for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Friday.

The 26-year-old, who also won silver at the 2022 world championships in Eugene, had been provisionally suspended since November after he was accused of "blood manipulation" by the AIU.

"Abnormalities were detected in his blood samples collected on 20 June 2023 and between 16 August and 13 September 2023," the AIU said in a statement.

All of his results between June 20, 2023 and November 1, 2024 have been annulled, including his seventh-placed finish at the Paris Olympics.

Ikeda, who denied the charge, can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run will be held on Sunday, December 8th to commemorates the 11 years since President Nelson Mandela’s passing.

The event offers an opportunity for South Africans and the international community to reflect on the strides made since the dawn of democracy 30 years ago and the challenges that remain.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation host the special event annually on the streets of Tshwane.

Over the years, it has attracted hundreds of thousands of participants who honour Madiba’s legacy and contribution.

This year’s event will start start and end in the shadows of the Union Buildings, where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected president, and takes in some significant historical landmarks on the route important to Madiba’s life’s journey.

It consists of a fun 5-kilometre walk, a 10-kilometre walk, and a 21-kilometre run.

“This year’s Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run will be especially significant as we mark 11 years since Madiba’s passing and celebrate his massive contribution to the pursuit of human dignity, equality, and a better life for all the country’s citizens.

This is an event we all look forward to eagerly on the calendar, and we are encouraging people to gather in numbers to celebrate and reflect on Madiba’s major contribution and impact on all our lives,” said the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s CEO, Prof Mbongiseni Buthelelzi

The event attracts people of all ages and from all walks of life. It promotes social cohesion, nation-building, and a healthy lifestyle—one of Madiba’s hallmarks.

“As the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, we are honoured to partner with the Nelson Mandela Foundation for this significant event. The Mandela Remembrance Walk and Run is a tribute to Madiba’s extraordinary leadership and to all those who stood with him in the fight for freedom, justice, and equality.

While honouring this legacy, we must also confront the work that remains, committing ourselves to the values of unity, inclusivity, and dignity for all. Let this be a day of reflection, unity, and renewed commitment to shaping a future worthy of the sacrifices made by our leaders and heroes.” said MEC Matome Chiloane, MEC for Education, Sports Arts & Culture

As we celebrate these advancements, it is essential to remember Mandela’s cautionary words: "After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."

These words call upon participants to continue striving for progress, recognising that the path to true equality and justice is ongoing.

While it is a social, festive occasion for casual runners and walkers of all shapes and sizes to remember Madiba, world-class runners such as Gerda Steyn and Stephen Mokoka have regularly participated over the years. These runners are big supporters of this meaningful Gauteng event.

A private wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Union Buildings to mark the tenth anniversary of Madiba’s passing.

Online entries are now open and available at www.mandelawalkandrun.com.

For those who cannot make it to the Union Buildings, you can run the virtual race from wherever you are.

Register at https://www.fundnation.org/mandela

Start Times

• 10 & 21 km run starts at 07h00 on Government Road at the Union Buildings

• 5 km walk starts at 09h00 on Government Road at the Union Buildings

Number Collection details

• Friday 6th December 20234 from 09h00 - 17h00 - Nelson Mandela Foundation - 107 Central Street, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg

• Saturday 7th December 2024 from 09h00 - 18h00 - Union Buildings Gardens Stanza Bopape street, Arcadia Pretoria

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has vowed to protect women's sport following the gender eligibility row at this year's Paris Games if he becomes head of the International Olympic Committee.

Coe told AFP in an interview that ensuring a clear set of policies around women's participation would be top of his in-tray if he is elected next March to succeed Thomas Bach.

The 68-year-old Briton also vowed to widen the decision-making process surrounding Russia's re-admission to the Olympics.

Coe said the furore surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who won Olympic gold medals in women's boxing despite failing gender tests at last year's world championships, left him "uncomfortable".

Boxing was a sport with "inherent dangers" which required crystal-clear guidelines from the top of the Olympic tree, he said.

"I don't think you can play fast and loose with a sport like boxing. You have to have clear policies as you do across all sports," Coe said, speaking after a World Athletics event launch in Budapest.

He added: "International federations are expecting that landscape to be created by the Olympic movement. It is a co-curation, if you like, but the thought leadership and the lead that needs to be taken does have to come through the Olympic movement.

"If we do not protect women's sport and we don't have a clear and unambiguous set of policies to do that, then we run the risk of losing women's sport.

"From a personal perspective, and as the president of an Olympic sport, I'm just not prepared for that to happen."

- 'Well-equipped' for role -

Four decades after he won his second Olympic 1 500m gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, Coe remains one of the world's best-known athletes.

Why then does he want to trade the leadership of the sport he loves for the fraught politics of the IOC?

"I tend to think I've been in training for this role my whole life. In fact pretty much from the age of 11 when I first put a pair of running shoes on," he said.

"I have a vision. Also critically, I do actually have a plan for what the next generation of the Olympic movement looks like. So, yes, I feel that I'm very well-equipped for that role."

He faces a formidable task to win. Some observers believe it is time for a woman to lead the Olympic movement for the first time and Zimbabwean former swimmer Kirsty Coventry is among the seven candidates.

Coventry sits on the IOC's powerful Executive Board but Coe, an IOC member since 2020, believes the Olympic movement could and should be better run.

"We really do have to look at ourselves as a movement and say, are we utilising the skills and the experiences of colleagues of mine that I sit alongside in sessions and congresses to the best effect?

"And I'm not sure we are, and I don't think we have the right structures that would allow us to do that optimally."

Coe made some enemies with his decision to ban Russians from athletics over mass doping and then following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Under Bach, the IOC has orchestrated the return of Russians under a neutral banner, but even under those conditions were barred from the athletics at the Paris Games.

Coe said he would consult more widely.

"I want to make sure, if I do become president, that I create structures that allow the members' voice not just to be heard, but to be acted upon," he said.

That would include "an Executive Board that is responsive to the members, and a president's office that is connected to all those stakeholders".

Global sport is feeling the pull of the Gulf's petrodollars and although Summer Olympics hosts are in place until the 2032 Brisbane Games, some observers believe Saudi Arabia will follow up its hosting of the 2034 football World Cup – the kingdom is the sole candidate – by bidding for an Olympics.

India is also eyeing the 2036 Games.

Coe said the more candidates, the better.

"We need to take our sport into regions and new territories that are going to fundamentally encourage more young people into sport," he said.

"I don't close my eyes or my thoughts to any country in any continent wanting to stage our events.

"I would actively encourage that competition among cities who have the ambition to want to do that and whose interests align with ours... whether it is Saudi Arabia, whether it is India, whether it is anywhere in the world."

India's javelin star Neeraj Chopra will join a training group led by triple Olympic champion Jan Zelezny this winter, the Czech Athletics Federation (CAS) said on Friday.

Chopra, the 26-year-old Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021 and silver medallist from Paris this year, asked Czech legend Zelezny to coach him several weeks ago, the CAS added.

"That made me happy because I had already talked about him as a great talent many years ago, at the beginning of his career," Zelezny said on the CAS website.

The 58-year-old Zelezny, who won Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 and silver in Seoul in 1988, said he would only lead the group for the next two years.

"I am starting cooperation with Chopra. We are getting to know each other at a distance, we will start in person only at the traditional winter camp in South Africa," he added.

Chopra's arrival however did not please the Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo silver medalist. He has decided to leave the group after almost 14 years, the CAS said.

SPAR Grand Prix winner Glenrose Xaba has had the most successful year of her life so far and is laughing all the way to the bank.

Xaba is the first South African to win the SPAR Grand Prix since 2019, when international athletes were first allowed to enter the series.

She was also the last South African to win the prestigious award, having won it in 2018.
 
She received prize money of R200 000 at the awards ceremony on Tuesday as well as R75 000 for being the top South African in the SPAR Grand Prix.

In addition, she was given the keys to a Proton SUV X50 to use for a year.

“I was determined to win the SPAR Grand Prix again,” said Xaba.

“I made a lot of sacrifices so I could win it.  For instance, in consultation with my mentor, Caster Semenya, I decided not to try to qualify for the Olympic Games and to focus on the SPAR races instead. I am so grateful to Caster and to my coach Violet Raseboya, who have encouraged and guided me this year.”

'BRIGHT FUTURE'
 
After her successful year in the SPAR Challenge series, where she had a perfect score of 120 points from four races, winning each with maximum bonus points, Xaba went on to win the Cape Town Marathon, breaking Gerda Steyn’s national record in her debut marathon.

Semenya believes Xaba has a very bright future. “She’s determined, disciplined and takes instruction well,” said Semenya. “I think she will go very far.”

 Tadu Nare, the three times SPAR Grand Prix winner, finished third on the SPAR Grand Prix table, edged out by her Nedbank teammate and fellow Ethiopian Diniya Abaraya, who came second.  

Abaraya received R100 000 and Nare R50 000. Abaraya also won the junior category. Abaraya finished with 112 points and Nare with 111.

Cacisile Sosibo was fourth overall, with 72 points, and she also won R50 000 for being the second South African on the leaderboard.
 
Mpudi Maubane, SPAR National PR, Communications and Sponsorship Manager congratulated Xaba in winning the SPAR Grand Prix this year.

“SPAR are very proud of Glenrose and her efforts in becoming this year’s SPAR Grand Prix Champion. We recognise the hard work and dedication Glenrose, and the other top ten athletes and age group category winners put into their success and salute them as leading athletes that inspire so many," she said.

She said they are grateful for these athletes and the many thousands of athletes who took part on the SPAR Grand Prix series.

"I hope they encourage their friends to take part next year so that together we can empower women and help develop road running in South Africa,” Maubane said.
 
She confirmed that SPAR would sponsor a bigger and better SPAR Grand Prix Series in 2025. 

Details would be announced early next year.