India's Dutee Chand cleared to take part in all competitions after court upholds her appeal

Dutee Chand(230) can now compete in national and internationla competitions

In what can be called a landmark verdict, India’s Dutee Chand has been cleared to participate in national and international events after the Court for Arbitration for Sport partially upheld her appeal against the International Association of Athletics Federation(IAAF) Regulation on Hyperandrogenism which had barred her from competing in women’s events.

The ruling of the CAS said that there was no clear proof that the athlete might have benefited from her condition of having increased testosterone levels than others.

“The panel has suspended the 'IAAF Regulation Governing Eligibility of Females with Hyperandrogenism to Compete in Women's Competition' for a maximum period of two years in order to give the IAAF the opportunity to provide the CAS with scientific evidence about the quantitative relationship between enhanced testosterone levels and improved athletic performance in hyperandrogenic athletes," the Court said in an statement.

“In the absence of such evidence, the CAS Panel was unable to conclude that hyperandrogenic female athletes may benefit from such a significant performance advantage that it is necessary to exclude them from competing in the female category.

The hearing of the appeal against IAAF’s hyperandrogenism policy ended on the 26th of March in Lausanne.

The Court also provided the apex body for athletics a time span of two years to give evidence that the athletes with hyperandrogenism have a distinct advantage over the rest, failing which could lead to the particular ruling, becoming void.

"While the Hyperandrogenism Regulations are suspended, Ms Dutee Chand is permitted to compete in both national and international level athletics events. Should the IAAF not file any scientific evidence within the two-year period granted by the CAS Panel, the Hyperandrogenism Regulations will be declared void,” the statement read.

Had a feeling that I would win: Chand

Reacting at the verdict, Chand said despite having lost one year of her career, she will now put all the hard times behind her and refocus on bringing laurels to the country.

"I can't say that I am really really happy because I have lost a crucial one year of my career. It was heartbreaking at times and I cried many times. But now I am free to pursue my passion for athletics. I will try to do my best now. I will now train hard to be able to bring laurels for the country," she told PTI.

The 19-year-old, who clinched the Gold in the 100m race at the National Games in Kerala earlier in the year, added she was confident of receiving a positive verdict and never lost hope.

“I never lost hope during this case was going on. I never gave up. Somehow I thought that I will win this case as it was not at all my fault. It was unfair to ban me from taking part in competitions as I was just like any other athlete. In my dreams, I saw myself running at the tracks and winning races," she said.